Joe Santoro says he always wanted, even from a young age, to serve his community in some way. At age 21, he became a part-time auxiliary police officer and has served as a police officer until his kidneys began to fail, from a genetic kidney disorder. With his kidney function down to 13%, his doctors have diagnosed him with end stage kidney disease and emphasized how vital it is for him to get a new kidney if he ever hopes to get back to a life of service.
About Joe Santoro
At age 21, Joe became a part-time auxiliary police officer in his hometown of Itasca, just outside of Chicago. During the Covid scare, while still working as an auxiliary police officer, he graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
After graduating, he got an opportunity to serve as a police officer in Galena, in northwestern Illinois just over the state line from Dubuque, Iowa and about 200 miles from home.
“Coming from a large Italian family,” Joe said, “I knew how important family was, and I just couldn't be away from them for too long.” So after a year, he moved back home and joined the Elmwood Park Police Department there, where he works the midnight shift as a Juvenile Police Officer.
Joe has known since he was young that he carries the gene for a genetic kidney disorder known as Alport's syndrome. His mother, grandmother, aunt and great-uncle have all dealt with kidney disease. Nearly ten years ago, Joe saw his mother's health deteriorate and, ultimately, the disease they share caused her kidneys to fail. His father donated a kidney, which brought his parents into a paired kidney donation program that brought new kidneys to a total of four people.
Over the past few years, Joe's health has begun to deteriorate. With his kidney function down to 13%, his doctors have diagnosed him with end stage kidney disease and emphasized how vital it is for him to get a new kidney.
"I went from living a normal life, seeing friends and family every day, to sleeping more than 12 hours a day," Joe said. "Thankfully, there’s no pain now, but my body is constantly exhausted every second of the day."
Despite this, Joe still looks forward to every new day. A new kidney will do more than just keep him alive. It will enable Joe to go back to doing the work he loves as a police officer – serving his community.
Do you want to help Joe? Please share the link to Joe’s story or reach out to Kidneys for Communities at info@kidneysforcommunities.org to learn more about how you can help. The Kidneys for Communities team is here to answer your questions.
KIDNEY DONATION
How does kidney donation work?
A donor doesn’t need to be an exact match. In fact, because of the Nobel Prize-winning paired kidney exchange program, your kidney donation will not only save one life, but it will save several more in the chain.
Living kidney donation is safe, and all costs associated with your donation are covered. Living donor kidneys also last much longer than deceased donor kidneys. A deceased donor kidney transplant, on average, lasts 10-15 years, while a living donor transplant lasts 12-20 years.
Kidneys for Communities® Donor Benefits
Donating a kidney is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling acts someone can do.
Kidneys for Communities can help you through the process to help save a life, but we know there are many obstacles that can be prohibitive to the donor. At Kidneys for Communities, we take care of our donors with the industry’s most complete donor benefits package:
Onboarding and education
Personalized guidance through the donation process
Anonymity
Cost reimbursements:
Travel, food & lodging, lost wages, child, pet and adult care