Hi! I’m Ben. If you’ve found your way to this page, thank you for taking the time to learn about my story.

I live in Salt Lake City with my wife, Angela and our dog, Mac. I’m originally from Boston, but we decided to make Utah our home a couple of years ago after falling in love with the mountains. I love being active, so you’ll find me hiking, skiing, playing tennis or golf, or traveling with Angela. We can’t wait to continue exploring and making memories together. 

I was born with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic condition that causes cysts to grow in the kidneys over time and slowly lose the ability to function. Even with medication and close monitoring from my nephrologists, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to live a normal life. I’m very healthy and active and have been able to do just about everything I’ve wanted to do, even with these two bum kidneys!

But now my kidneys are reaching the point where it’s time for a transplant. Kidneys coming from living donors typically offer better outcomes and function longer than kidneys from deceased donors, often lasting twice as long and leading to better outcomes. It also means avoiding years waiting on the deceased donor transplant list and a better chance of getting transplanted before needing long-term dialysis

Angela would like to donate her kidney to me, but we’ve been trying to start a family making her currently ineligible to donate. Mac is eager to donate, but my transplant center has a strict no dog policy!

Asking for help like this isn’t easy. It’s someone giving an organ and going through a medical procedure. And for me, it will give me life and more time. More discovering new mountain trails, more powder days, more dinners together with family and friends, and most importantly, hopefully building the future Angela and I have been dreaming of. 

Whether you decide to learn more or share our story, your kindness and support means the world to us, so thank you. I hope this website answers many of your questions about living kidney donation. If there’s something that isn’t covered or you would like to get in touch, please reach out.

And if you’re considering donating the gift of a kidney, it’s impossible to fully express what that would mean to me, and Angela, and our future family together. It would be the gift of a lifetime.