Local Man in New Program to Find Kidney Donor

Fernando Moreno, a 50-year-old truck driver from Vineland is now part of  “The Great Social Experiment,” a name given it by its founder Los Angeles filmmaker David Krissman. Moreno has been on dialysis for about two years, enduring what he described as an “unbearable” wait for a new kidney to save his life. His limited world of social contacts has meant that his hopes have hinged on inching up the national waiting list for a transplant.

However, earlier this year, Temple University Hospital, where he is treated, arranged contact for him with “Angel Advocates” – Good Samaritans around the country who leverage their social media feeds to share stories about critical medical needs. The pilot program has 15 patients at three Pennsylvania hospitals. It’s testing whether motivated, volunteer strangers can help improve the chances of finding a life-saving match for a new kidney—particularly for people with limited social networks.

The system hasn’t found a living donor yet for Moreno, but there are early signs that it’s working, and this gives him new optimism.

About 90,000 people in the United States are on a list for a kidney transplant. The National Kidney Foundation says living donors must be at least 18 years old, although some transplant centers set the minimum age at 21. Potential donors get screened for health problems and can be ruled out if they have uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer, or if they are smokers.

Many living donors make “directed donations” to specify who will get their kidney. Non-directed donations are anonymous.