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Inspiring Stories

Michael Torti (right) helped Jacob Fill receive a kidney. They were neighbors in Elmhurst more than 20 years ago.

 

Michael Torti and Jacob Fill were neighbors over 20 years ago in Elmhurst, Illinois. When Torti learned through social media that Fill, now 27, needed a kidney transplant due to complications from polycystic kidney disease, he decided to help. Although Torti’s kidney wasn’t a direct match, he participated in a paired exchange program, donating his kidney to someone else in need, which in turn helped Fill receive a better-matched kidney from a younger donor.

After multiple surgeries and months on dialysis, Fill is now healthy and back at work. Torti later visited Fill and his family in California, emphasizing the importance of kidney donation—whether direct or through an exchange—to save lives more quickly. Fill expressed deep gratitude for Torti and the medical teams involved, saying he feels like he has his life back.

Read their story on our news page here!

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