BY PATRICIA YOCZIS
Correspondent
COLTS NECK – Tom Nardini and Harry Warren barely knew each other. As members of St. Mary’s Parish, their paths crossed only when both men were involved in a fundraising event for the church’s expansion project. That project would change the lives of both men.
“For 10 years I had been suffering with fibrillary glomeropathy, a rare kidney disease that has no cure or no known cause. There are only about 200 cases in world,” said Tom Nardini, who was the chairman of the fundraiser. “By the end of 2006, I was going into kidney failure.”
Nardini said that as he continued to work on the church fundraiser that was a gala set for February, he was getting weaker and weaker. His nephrologist, Dr. Raymond Sherman, informed him of his options: dialysis or a kidney transplant.
“I was devastated,” he said. “Family members were tested for a match for a kidney transplant but none proved positive. I was told that the average wait for a kidney was six years.”
At the January gala meeting in his home, Nardini discussed his medical condition with Harry Warren, the event’s ad journal chairman.
“We found out that we both were O positive blood type, one of the conditions for a transplant,” Nardini said. “As we continued to talk, Harry agreed to be tested.”
Warren said he thought about the testing and decided that if he were a match, he definitely would donate one of his kidneys to Nardini.
“In my opinion I considered the risk was minimal,” said Warren, a 74-year-old widower. “There is no history of kidney disease in my family or in Jerri’s (his deceased wife) family. I am healthy. My three sons, Harry Jr., David and Mark, are young and healthy.”
After consulting with his sons and hearing their initial surprise, he said his sons were totally supportive of his decision to be tested and to undergo the eventual surgery. They became his risk management team, he said, and handled the details before, during and after his surgery.
The pre-transplant procedures and surgery were conducted at the Rogosin Institute Transplantation Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, New York. Warren said the pre-transplant testing included blood and urine tests, renal and CT scans, hepatitis screening and a psychological profile. The testing was done over several weeks. When the results were completed, he was a positive match for Nardini’s kidney transplant.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion when I found out,” said Nardini, 60. “Harry put his life on the line for me and saved my life. It was the ultimate gift of self. I’ll never forget it.”
On May 24, Warren’s operation occurred through laparoscopic surgery that involved several small incisions for the dissection and removal of the kidney. It took about 90 minutes, required a three-day hospital stay and a few weeks of recuperation, he said.
“I want to tell everyone that it is not a big deal to be the donor of a kidney transplant,” said Warren, a financial adviser and owner of Estate Planning Services, Red Bank. “Age is not a deterrent and you don’t have to be related to the recipient.”
When asked what the deciding factor was that led him to donate his kidney to a virtual stranger, Warren said it was his religious conviction.
“It was purely religious,” said Warren, who has four grandchildren. “My understanding of what it means to be a Christian is to be a good neighbor. Religion is not just words and sometimes we have to be tested and say yes to what will be. It was providence that led me. I was reluctant to get involved with this fundraiser. Things were set into motion. I just said yes.”
Nardini’s surgery was begun after the removal of Warren’s kidney and involved several hours of surgery to attach the healthy kidney to his two failing ones. A longer hospital stay and several months of recuperation are required, he said.
“The failing kidneys were not removed,” he said. “The surgery would have been too long. An hour after the transplant surgery, my kidney function that was 5 percent went to 80 percent. If all goes well I will have a complete recovery and Harry’s kidney will last me the rest of my life.”
For years, Nardini has been known as a fundraiser for several charities including St. Mary’s Parish and the Parker Medical Clinic, Red Bank. About 25 years ago he founded the ongoing Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. He believes strongly in volunteerism.
“It is so important to think of others and so gratifying to be able to change someone’s life in a positive way,” he said. “My transplant didn’t happen because I’m a good guy. It happened because someone (Harry) thought not of himself, but of others. It certainly changed my life.”
According to Nardini, he and Warren now talk every day. They discovered some similarities.
“We both have a sense of humor and have positive personalities,” he said. “There is even talk that the kidney transplant has transferred some of Harry’s characteristics to me. That’s only talk.”
Lucia Nardini, Tom’s wife, expressed her sincere gratitude to Warren for his overwhelming generosity and to everyone for their prayers, good wishes and assistance in making the kidney transplant possible.
“It’s so wonderful to have my husband back and on the road to a full recovery,” she said. “What a blessing we received to have such a gift. I hope others can be blessed by such generosity.”
The Nardinis reside in Colts Neck and have two adult children, Thomas and Nicole, and six granddaughters. They are the owners of Quality Carpet and Interiors, Middletown.
The financial costs for the donor’s testing, surgery and hospitalization were covered by the recipient’s medical insurance. Follow-up care directly related to the donor’s surgery is covered for six months after the procedure.