Gift of life: Port Richmond man gets second chance at life from kidney donor
Port Richmond man gets a second chance at life from a kidney donor
A Port Richmond man received the gift of life from a family member after a diagnosis of chronic kidney failure placed him in dire need of a donor.
PORT RICHMOND - After a 2023 diagnosis of chronic kidney failure, a Port Richmond man was desperate to find a donor. In late 2024, a family member stepped up to give the gift of life.
The backstory:
Kevin Flegler thought it could be four to eight years before a kidney donor would be found. It turns out it was a family member with a generous heart who came through much sooner. Wednesday, April 9th, he and his cousin underwent surgery to give Kevin one new kidney.
What they're saying:
A welcome home balloon arch sits outside a Port Richmond home with a banner above that reads "Congrats. It is a kidney" and announcing that Kevin Flegler and Francine Dennis are the perfect match.
"I feel loved. Very fortunate. Because a lot of people wait years for a kidney and I only waited a fraction of that," said Kevin. Thursday evening, FOX 29’s Shawnette Wilson talked to Kevin, who is now 25 years old, as he sat alongside a very special woman who has changed his life.
"I was very excited. Very grateful because a lot of people would not do that," he said.
49-year-old Francine Dennis is his cousin and his kidney donor.
"If he could have 10 to 15 more years of life, why not? It is big to do, but if that can give him more life to get him a better life and not have to go sit in dialysis for three or four days a week, I chose to just do it," she said tearfully.
Dig deeper:
Wilson interviewed Kevin in March of last year after doctors diagnosed him months before with chronic kidney disease and two failing kidneys.
He began dialysis three times a week for several hours each day.
"Being on dialysis restricts a lot of your time and makes you energy-less," he said. Meanwhile his name was placed on an organ transplant wait list.
Then last December he got a lifeline.
Port Richmond man, 24, in desperate need of kidney donor
Symptoms of 24-year-old Kevin Flegler’s swollen foot led to him spending five days in the ICU before he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Now, Fleger is in serious need of a kidney donor and needs your help.
Christmas gift:
"I found out on Christmas. It was kind of a big surprise thing," said Kevin. Francine told him she had been tested and was a match. The process began.
"You have to get your kidneys checked to make sure that they're viable even though they run studies. They have to make sure that they are good and have to make sure your heart is good," she said.
On April 9th they both had surgery to give Kevin one of Francine's kidneys.
"Now it's over and hearing that he's doing good and the kidney is starting to produce in doing the way that it should, it just made it an awesome feeling that it's going to work," said Francine. Surrounded by supportive family members and wearing donor-themed shirts, Kevin and Francine are encouraged that his body will not reject the new kidney.
"That was just my hope and my prayers that everything works the way it should for him," said Francine.
Big picture view:
Kevin is anxious to get back to a normal life.
"I'm definitely looking forward to venturing out like getting my license and looking for a job again," he said.
"It's only up from here," he added.
What you can do:
For more information on organ donation, visit the Gift of Life website, here.