Jake first met Dayna when she walked into the furniture store where he was working as a salesman in 2021. The two sparked up a conversation and almost instantly became friends. As Dayna shopped for bedroom furniture, the two chatted about her New York accent, Jake’s upcoming first trip to New York City, and much more. That day they shared social media contact information and promised to stay in touch.
In September 2023, Jake and Dayna were having lunch together, as they did every few months since meeting when Dayna explained that she was having health challenges and needed to get on the kidney transplant list. Jake knew about some of her medical problems, but it was not until that day that she shared the details about her kidney failure. At this point, he knew very little about kidney disease and dialysis. The knowledge he had stemmed from a former job as a medical transport, where he would sometimes need to go into a dialysis facility to drop off or pick up a patient.
A Life-Changing Decision
As the months went on, Jake saw Dayna’s posts on social media and learned more about her condition and her need for a living kidney donor. Then, in December 2023, Jake was in New York City, now an annual trip for him, when he saw one of her Facebook posts. The post linked to a website with more information on Dayna including her blood type and her transplant coordinator’s information. One detail stopped him in his tracks-her blood type matched his.
That same day, Jake reached out to the transplant coordinator who had him complete a long questionnaire. Following the questionnaire, he did some preliminary bloodwork at his local lab. As he moved through each of these steps, he became more excited about donating to his good friend. At this point, Jake says that he was really hoping he was a match but was not telling many people about his decision to be tested. On the side of caution, he did not want to tell Dayna just in case it did not work out. Only his sister, Evelyn, and one other close friend knew that he was going through the steps to become a living kidney donor.
The Journey to Becoming a Donor
The next step in the process for Jake was an evaluation at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA, four hours away from where he lived. The hospital was very flexible, and they would make the appointment any time he was available. Jake accepted the soonest appointment available. Two weeks later, he went to Piedmont Hospital for testing. He recalls that the hospital took their time and answered every question he had. After what felt like 100 tests to Jake, he was approved by the Transplant Committee as a good match for Dayna.
The Big Reveal
The moment Jake received the news, he was ready. “Let’s do this,” he told himself. He messaged Dayna and made an excuse to see her that day. Dayna sold Avon products at the time, and Jake said he needed a product right away. Jake drove to Dayna’s home to “pick up the product” and as he pulled in her driveway, she was unloading marketing materials from her car that would help find a living donor. She had also just got home from dialysis, so Jake offered to help her unload everything without breaking the news yet. Very excited and not sure how to tell her the news, Jake ended up sending her the email that he received confirming he was a good match. Jake says that Dayna is a talker, and it was hard for him to get her to stop talking to check her email.
“Dayna, check your email,” he urged.
But dialysis had blurred her vision, and at first, she struggled to read it. Finally, the words sank in:
“You are a direct match to Dayna.”
She became completely overwhelmed. She could not believe it! Jake describes it as a moment where “everything just became bright!”
Preparation, Delays, and The Big Day
After telling Dayna, Jake then told his mom and dad. They had questions, but after talking about it, both of his parents supported him and were on board. Jake says, “I was blessed with a very supportive family.”
Next came the waiting, and Jake also was asked to slim down a few pounds. He had recently lost some weight, but he needed to lose 10 more pounds. At first, the surgery was scheduled for July, but it got delayed due to some missing testing. The delay was hard for all involved, but they got through.
The kidney transplant surgery took place on August 2, 2024. Jake says that he was in the best shape of his life and recovered quickly. He says that he was home and in his own bed by the next evening. He did experience some pain and had a 5-inch incision that needed to heal. His workplace was very supportive, provided medical leave, and brought him meals for weeks. Jake says that Dayna had a successful transplant surgery and is doing great with no issues.
A Lasting Impact
One thing that Jake is grateful for is that becoming a living kidney donor has encouraged him to live a healthier lifestyle than ever before. At just 27 years old, he now pays more attention to diet and exercise than he ever did previously. He says he does not have to take any precautions, other than to try to eat a lower-sodium diet, which he is doing now anyways.
Jake and Dayna want to share their story because they don’t want it to just be one person, and one kidney affected – they want to make a bigger impact and encourage organ donation. Some day they hope to start a non-profit in the Savannah, Georgia area to support kidney health, kidney patients, and kidney transplants.
Top Tips from Jake for those who want to consider organ donation:
• Educate yourself – ask all your questions. Don’t go into it with any doubts.
• Get the resources you need – no matter what it is: financial, support, logistics. There are organizations and people that can help. Ask the transplant coordinator how you can get what you need.
Jake’s act of generosity gave Dayna a second chance at life. Now they hope their journey will inspire others to do the same.
Additional Resources
Understanding Kidney Transplantation:
Free Download: https://bit.ly/UnderstandingKidneyTransplantation
Order printed brochure: https://bit.ly/AAKPtransplantationbrochure-print
Kidney Transplantation:
Visit our webpage: https://bit.ly/AAKP-kidneytransplantation
Post-Kidney Transplant Care:
Visit our webpage: https://bit.ly/AAKPPostTransplantCare
This article was originally published in our May/June 2025 aakpRENALIFE magazine.
