This National Kidney Month, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, (NFFF) and its affiliate, the First Responder Center for Excellence (FRCE), the Knox Company are joining forces with Kidneys for Communities. This partnership aims to empower first responder communities across the country to help fallen firefighters’ families and others in the firefighter community who are in need of a lifesaving kidney transplant. 

Through our Kidneys for First Responders initiative and this  partnership,, families of fallen heroes, as well as firefighters battling kidney disease, can receive the support they need to find a living kidney donor. 

“It can be difficult to ask a stranger or even friends and family members to donate a kidney. Successfully finding a kidney donor requires the recipient to reach deep into their networks of connections to make a big request,” said Atul Agnihotri, CEO of Kidneys for Communities. “We are connecting people through the power of a common cause — those who want to help firefighters and their families and those in need of a kidney transplant within the first responder community.” 

Killing more people than breast cancer or prostate cancer, kidney disease has, in recent years, been named by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a leading cause of death in the United States. CDC data shows that kidney disease affects an estimated 35.5 million people in the U.S., and approximately 90% of those with kidney disease don’t know they have it. Meanwhile, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports that approximately 13 people die each day waiting for a kidney transplant.

The partnership between NFFF and Kidneys for Communities represents a critical step forward in addressing the dire need for kidney transplants within the firefighting community. It’s a call to action for those willing to make a lifesaving difference, expanding their legacy in the most profound way possible.

To learn more about this life-saving collaboration and how you might contribute, read more about the partnership in the press release here.