DARIEN, IL – They were neighbors in Elmhurst more than 20 years ago and hadn’t seen each other since then. But one of them came through in a big way for the other.
Back then, Michael Torti was a neighbor of the Fill family, including their 2-year-old son, Jacob Fill, according to a news release from Maywood-based Loyola Medicine.
Through a social media post, Torti found out that Fill, now 27, needed a kidney transplant. Torti stepped up.
When Fill was in elementary school, he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. But complications did not occur until much later.
In the fall of 2023, Fill suffered a ruptured cyst, something he was used to with the disease, but this time, the bleeding in his kidney persisted, according to the release.
It eventually required doctors to remove his kidney. Then they had to remove the other one.
“At that point, I had been in and out of the hospital for months, received multiple surgeries, and had zero kidneys,” Fill told Loyola Medicine. “In order to live, I started dialysis treatment and was looking at a 6-plus year wait for a transplant in California. For me, there didn’t seem to be an end in sight.”
Torti had stayed in contact over the years with Fill’s parents. The social media post moved him.
“When I heard the story, all I could think about was my own daughter, who is Jacob’s age,” Torti said in the news release. “I couldn’t imagine her having to go through something like this. I could only imagine the fear, sorrow and helplessness his parents must have felt.”
Given their 34-year age difference, Torti’s kidney wasn’t a good match for Fill. So Torti took part in a paired exchange. That means he could donate his kidney to someone else on the waitlist, moving Fill up on the list.
A few months later, Fill got a kidney from a younger donor. Torti’s kidney saved a different patient in Utah, according to the release.
With the new kidney, Fill underwent several life-saving surgeries.
After the surgeries, Torti traveled to California to visit Fill and his family.
“We always hear about people hoping they’re a match for their friend or loved one, but when you think about it, that isn’t really the goal,” Torti said. “The goal is to get them the best kidney with the best possible match, and to get it in months, not years. Whether it’s a paired exchange or one of the various voucher programs, all it takes is the willingness to donate.”
Fill is now back at work.
“I felt like many of the parts of my life I cherished were being taken away,” Fill said in the news release. “After fully recovering from the transplant, the donation, I feel like I have my full freedom back and I’m eternally so grateful to Mike, the medical professionals, and everyone involved in the pair exchange process.”