(WSVN) - A happy update to a story we first brought you in November, when we introduced you to a Miami-Dade firefighter who donated his kidney to save his neighbor’s life. The surgery was a success, and now the firefighter wants to do more. Heather Walker has today’s 7Spotlight.
A celebration after a selfless act saves a life. Months earlier, no one was sure this day would come.
Bruno Ferretti, received kidney donation: “‘OK, you need to go to the hospital immediately. Something’s very wrong with you.’ I was at that point, I was already at Stage 4 chronic kidney disease.”
Bruno first shared his story with us back in November. At 35, he was in the late stages of kidney disease, afraid he would not get to watch his son grow up.
But then his neighbor, Miami-Dade Firefighter Chris Staton, came to the rescue and offered to donate his kidney.
Chris Staton, donated kidney: “I love the guy. I love his wife. I love his kid. I could never live with myself if he had to do three years of dialysis and may never get a kidney. That’s just not a question.”
Chris and Bruno walked into the Cleveland Clinic side by side, and walked out after successful surgery.
Now, two months later, Bruno feels like a new man.
Bruno Ferretti: “I feel lighter. It’s almost like my blood was made of molasses before, and now it’s just normal. I was at the point where it was difficult, because I barely had the energy to stand up and hold up my son, whereas now, you know, I pick him up, I play with him.”
Which is exactly what Chris wanted.
Chris Staton: “He’s been in a very positive mood. He’s extremely happy.”
Bruno says he owes everything to his neighbor.
Bruno Ferretti: “Chris is our hero. He’s absolutely our hero. We could never thank him enough. We’re blood brothers now, literally.”
The one downside for Chris is that in order to save his neighbor, he had to use up all of his paid time off, not just for the surgery, but to recover.
Now, his mission is to change that.
Chris Staton: “So what we’re trying to do, anybody that is a employee of Dade County and they donate an organ, they’re not going to have to burn through all that time that they saved up. If that is no longer in the back of your mind, that you’re going to lose all the time that you’ve worked for, it makes that decision to donate and save somebody’s life a lot easier.”
His proposal is on Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s desk.
Meanwhile, Bruno wants everyone to be aware how dangerous kidney disease can be.
Bruno Ferretti: “They say that high blood pressure causes kidney failure, and kidney failure causes high blood pressure. So, if by some chance, you know, anyone out there who might have hypertension or might have kidney issues, make sure that you speak to a nephrologist and not, you know, just your general normal doctor or anything like that.”
Thankfully, Bruno had the right doctor and the very best neighbor.
Heather Walker, 7News.
If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.