By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
NEW YORK — An officer with the New York City Police Department was the first to receive a kidney transplant as part of Kidneys for Communities’ new initiative, Kidneys for First Responders.
Kidneys for Communities, a national living kidney donation program, announced New York City Police Officer Melissa Quinones was the first officer to receive a kidney, with help from the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York.
In 2018, Quinones, an 18-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. Despite numerous offers from family and friends, none of them was a compatible match for a kidney transplant.
After enduring over four years of waiting, Quinones’ life was changed when a compassionate stranger expressed their desire to donate a kidney specifically to a police officer. This led to the collaboration between Kidneys for Communities, the NYPD and the NYC PBA, resulting in the successful coordination of Quinones’ living kidney transplant at the New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in October 2022.
This donation was part of a larger paired kidney exchange program that has contributed to saving multiple lives.
“As an officer, there are many challenging situations that I encounter, yet at the same time, I experience so much good within the community I serve,” said Quinones. “I might never know the donor, but their appreciation of my commitment to serve is a beacon of hope empowering me to do even more to make a difference in the lives of others.”
Quinones returned to active duty four months after the transplant.
The Kidneys for Communities’ Kidneys for First Responders program aims to enhance the availability and ease of living kidney donations by establishing a connection between individuals willing to assist first responders and those requiring a critical kidney transplant.
The initiative follows the community-directed donation model of Kidneys for Communities, which focuses on forging connections through shared affiliations within membership-based communities.
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