My Kidney Donation Story: Jeff Sosnowski

Back in March 2024, a kidney patient who was searching for a kidney donor came into my place of business and asked if they could put a business card on the countertop. One day, I happened to see it. I knew what my blood type was, but I didn’t know anything about living donation. I didn’t know him at all, but I called him to tell him I was interested in donating a kidney. 

I started the workup process at Vanderbilt. The first step was blood typing to see if I was a match. I was not a match, but they told me I could still donate to him through the paired exchange program. I said let me think about it. An hour later I called back and said I wanted to move forward.  

I did more tests, and on June 3 and 4, I went through the medical workup. On June 10, they contacted me to say that the selection committee decided I was qualified. I was surprised I even qualified. I am a retired Marine, and in the Marines, the treatment for any kind of pain is Motrin and water, which is one of the worst things for your kidneys. I had 20 years of Motrin and water, but I’ve been retired for a few years now.  

Once I was approved, I reached out to the recipient and told him I was going to be his donor. However, I told him there was one caveat—he was going to have to wait a couple months because I had a bunch of stuff planned and I didn’t want to penalize my family. He said that was fine. 

Not 10 days later, he called to say he was on the way to the hospital—he was getting a deceased donor kidney. I was very happy for him, but I decided I didn’t go through this whole process just to give up. My intended recipient was a complete stranger to me before I agreed to do this—why shouldn’t I continue down this path and help someone else? 

So I contacted my coordinator and said that my intended recipient had received a deceased donor kidney, but I still wanted to donate. I couldn’t have the surgery until October, and they told me they couldn’t activate me in the system until three weeks prior to the window when I was available to donate. 

I was activated in the system on September 21, 2024, and seven days later they contacted me to let me know that they had a recipient match. My donor surgery was on October 22, 2024, and it wasn’t bad at all. I had arthroscopic knee surgery back in February, and that was much more painful than donating a kidney.  

I left the hospital 24 hours post-op, and I have been walking three to five miles a day almost daily since then. I’ve walked almost 71 miles so far this month. I feel great. It’s been one month since my surgery and I would say I’m back to 98% or 100%. You can’t even tell on my body that I donated—the three incision points are almost nonexistent. One day, my coworker asked me if I would do it again. I said, in a heartbeat. 

One of the things I want people to know is that when you register to become a living donor, you get a complete medical workup and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Worst case, you find something wrong with you that needs to be addressed. Best case, you are approved and you have the chance to change someone’s life. You still have that decision to make. Everyone has their own situation, and if you change your mind, you can decide not to donate right up until the time they knock you out. 

My goal now is to raise awareness and educate people about kidney donation as best I can. If I find one more living donor, great; if I can get 10, even better. For Veteran’s Day, my wife reached out to the local news station to tell them about my donation to a stranger. They did a story on it, and three days later the Bobby Bones show out of Nashville picked it up and put it on their podcast.  

I have not found out who my recipient is yet. I wrote a letter and sent it to my nurse coordinator, who said they would send it over to the recipient transplant center. However, they said that it’s ultimately up to the recipient if they want to reach out. I would love to meet the person and find out if they’re doing well, but if not, that’s OK. I just hope my kidney is doing well for them.

About the Author

Jeff Sosnowski was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He graduated from Moon Valley High School and, shortly after, shipped out to the United States Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego, California. 

During his 20-year Marine Corps career, Jeff was deployed to Iraq for a total of 17 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Afghanistan for 12 months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2016, he retired from the Marine Corps. 

After retiring, Jeff worked as a General Manager for Domino’s Pizza, where he met his wife, Denise. In October 2017, Jeff moved to Fayetteville, Tennessee. Together, Jeff and Denise run a small business, justbreathemassagemadison.com. Jeff is also an Assistant Service Manager for a locally owned Goodyear Tire franchise in Hazel Green, Alabama. 

Jeff has three children. In his free time, he enjoys walking, rock climbing, and jumping out of airplanes. In 2021, Jeff and Denise completed their first tandem skydive while on vacation in Hawaii. Since that first jump, it’s been hard to keep his feet on the ground! 

Jeff also volunteers his time supporting the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Since taking up skydiving, Jeff and Denise have embraced a healthier lifestyle, which made it easier for Jeff to become a living donor and aided his speedy recovery after the donation surgery.