Jack Guida needs your help. The 23-year-old from Massapequa needs a kidney transplant.
Guida was born with a disease that destroyed his kidneys and damaged his hearing. At age 12, he had his first lifesaving transplant thanks to a persistent mom.
“As luck would have it, through our church, she was friends with one of the nuns there,” Guida told PIX11 News. “And one of the nuns knew a woman in Virginia that she was friends with, and her son, sadly, he passed away. He was in a car accident. But the nun asked her friend would you want to donate your son’s kidney to this boy in need? And she said yes!”
The kidney was a perfect match for Guida, who has type A blood. That means he can accept types A and O.
But in 2011, Guida’s body started rejecting the kidney. He’s now on dialysis three times a week while he also works at a GameStop and works out at a local gym with a personal trainer. But how long can he keep that up?
“You can’t be on dialysis, survive on dialysis for a long period of time.”
Guida is a fighter. He’s recently lost his adopted parents and his dog. But he pushes on and now needs a new kidney to keep going and reach his dream: one day he wants to open his own gym.
“I have friends and family behind me that tell me not to give up, you’re gonna get a kidney one day.”
If you think you may be the person who can save Guida’s life or would just like more information on kidney donation, email me at Howardshelpers@pix11.com Most of us can live just fine with one kidney.
