A few months ago, Raj Guntuku and Joel Morales had never met and now they’re connected for life by a kidney transplant. Raj, 13, was diagnosed last October with stage five kidney disease and he desperately needed a new kidney. His family was on a mission to find his one in 100-thousand match, taking to social media, campaigning on trucks and in the newspaper, and it worked.
An article about the Tampa teen caught Joel’s eye and he was moved to help. So the 28-year-old got tested and was a match for Raj. And three weeks ago, he donated his kidney to a total stranger, who has become a friend. The guys now play video games together almost daily and they’re both recovering well from the surgery.
“Raj needed a kidney. I have two, he only needed one,” Joel explains. “A couple weeks of recovery seems pretty worth it so Raj can go be a normal kid again.”
Source:Bay News 9