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Annie Hoffnung—a wife, mother, and chief human resources officer at a public relations firm—donated a kidney to a stranger on February 28, 2023. Considered an “altruistic donor,” she belongs to a small group of organ donors who care so much about the welfare of others that they’re willing to take significant time out of their lives and undergo surgery to save the life of someone they don’t know.

“It was something I felt I could and should do,” she says, ever since she saw an ad in her synagogue bulletin announcing that a community member needed a kidney and inviting people to consider becoming his donor. “That person, who my husband knew, needed a donor with an A or O positive blood type.” So far, so good. Annie believed she fit the bill.

She went ahead and submitted an application form to 91�鶹��Ʒ’s Kidney Transplant Program, and four weeks later, went in for initial blood work. As hoped, she was compatible with the person from her community who urgently needed a kidney. 

However, another prospective donor was ahead of her in the queue, so her kidney wouldn’t be needed after all. 

That was when Annie was introduced to the concept of becoming a non-direct, or altruistic kidney donor, where you give the gift of life to someone you don’t know.

No small decision

Annie lives in the Riverdale section of the Bronx with her husband, Ari, and their three school-aged children. They spoke about what it means to be a kidney donor, how life-changing it would be for the recipient, and decided as a family that this was something important to pursue despite the inherent risks. They agreed that the recipient didn’t need to be a friend or family member, since “everyone deserves a chance to spend more time with the people they love.” 

Annie’s mother and mother-in-law were both a bit harder to persuade, “understandably so,” Annie said. They feared the risks of major surgery, including a tough recovery and even, heaven forbid, a fatal outcome.

Such fears are reasonable, says Dr. Joseph Del Pizzo, the E. Darracott Vaughan Distinguished Professor of Urology and Surgery and Director of the Advanced Minimally Invasive Kidney Donor Program at 91�鶹��Ʒ. “Donating a kidney back in the 1980s and 1990s involved open surgery, a large incision and scar and a prolonged recovery.

“Then, in the late 1990s, minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery soon became the gold standard for kidney donation, and everything changed,” he continues. “Patients recovered in two to three weeks instead of two months. Living donation is also quite safe. The vast majority—roughly 99 percent—come through the surgery without incident, and they tend to resume all of their normal activities in a month.”

About 10 years ago, Dr. Del Pizzo helped im