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Greenwich Family Seeks Kidney Donor for Son - Event September 17
Community invited September 17 to attend and help find a lifesaving match
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 28, 2026 — The community is invited to attend a kidney donor swabbing event on Thursday, Sept. 17th, at 7:45 p.m. at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford to identify a potential living kidney donor for Nick Navarete, a 25-year-old local man with advanced kidney disease who urgently needs a transplant.
Nick was attending trade school to become an electrician when he became increasingly ill and was diagnosed with advanced-stage kidney disease. He is registered with Renewal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives by helping kidney donors and recipients navigate every aspect of the transplant process. He is on transplant waiting lists at New NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University and Yale New Haven Hospital. However, a deceased-donor kidney can take five to eight years to become available, and Nick’s doctors do not believe he can safely wait that long. And no one in his immediate family is a compatible donor.
The Screening Process Is Simple
At the Sept. 17th event, participants can complete a simple cheek swab and learn more about living kidney donation. Those identified as potential donors will undergo additional screening to determine if they could be a compatible donor for Nick. All inquiries and medical evaluations are confidential.
Even if a potential donor is not a direct match, that individual may still potentially be able to help through a paired kidney exchange, in which incompatible donor-recipient pairs are matched with other pairs.
“It has been heartbreaking to watch kidney disease put Nick’s life on hold. This swabbing event gives us hope that someone in our community may be the living donor he needs—and every person tested brings us one step closer,” said Ruth Anapol, Nick’s mother.
According to Renewal, chronic kidney disease affects more than 26 million Americans. Living kidney donation is a safe and proven treatment that can significantly improve a recipient’s life expectancy and quality of life. Unlike long-term dialysis, a successful kidney transplant may allow a patient to resume a more normal and active life.
Meet Local Living-Donation Advocates
Stamford-area residents Jeff Marinstein and Levi Deren will be at the event to share their inspiring story of how their lives were forever changed when Levi gave a liver donation to Jeff.
Could You Be Nick’s Match?
Living kidney donors can live full, healthy lives with one kidney. Those who are unable to donate can still help by attending the event, sharing Nick’s story and encouraging others to be tested.
For more information about Nick Navarrete or to learn how to donate or share his story, contact:
Renewal
[email protected]
(718) 431-9831
Ruth Anapol (nick's mother)
[email protected]
Event Links
Facebook: https://go.evvnt.com/3800757-0
