Man who needs kidney using NJ billboards, own website to find donor

A Pennsylvania man is using billboards in New Jersey, a domain name, and some humor, in order to get someone to make a life-saving decision in his name.

Don Brown, 74, says a living kidney transplant is his only viable treatment option for kidney disease that was caused by exposure to heavy metals while working in his family's scrap metal business years ago.

"In order to slow the progression of my kidney disease, I began a plant-based diet and a regimen of weight training and exercise which has enabled me to survive this long," Don says on his own site, kidney2don.com.

A successful transplant could give him another 20 or more years of life, he says.

Don, a widower, is the founder of the Widows/Widowers Support Group of Bucks County. He also runs a company that finances the purchase of distressed properties meant for renovation for young families, and is an advisor to the board of directors for the nonprofit REST House for Women.

• Interested in donating? Visit this page

According to 6ABC, Don's campaign has more than a dozen billboards posted in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, looking for a donor. Dozens of digital ads are running on SEPTA platforms.

Don's website features a 10-minute testimonial video from people in Don's life, as well as this tongue-in-cheek video that features Don frantically searching for a kidney in his home.

You don't need to be a match

Anyone willing to donate doesn't have to be a perfect match for Don — you just have to be a match for someone out there who's looking for a kidney. Don would then receive a "voucher" for a kidney from someone else who offers a more compatible organ.

According to Don's site, the National Kidney Registry has facilitated more than 5,000 such matching transplants.

• KIDNEY DONOR INFO

In 2021, more than 18,300 donors brought new life to recipients and their families, according to Don's website.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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