Matt Glazier and Julia Pepe

Join us on Thursday, September 25, 2025 for A Pairing for Prevention at Catalyst Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 5:00pm to 8:00pm

This annual Boston event supports the American Kidney Fund's vital programs and initiatives including the Living Donor Assistance Program. All ticket sales and donations go directly to support living kidney donors. Click here to purchase tickets.

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I had always lived an active and adventurous life, until late 2020 when my health declined rapidly. By January 2021, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with a rare genetic disease known as Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) that caused sudden kidney failure. Placed on dialysis and facing an urgent need for a transplant, he joined the millions of Americans who experience the daunting challenges of kidney disease and the long wait for a donor.

With the average wait for a deceased donor kidney stretching to four years, finding a living donor was my best chance. After months of searching, my wife Julia, shared our story on social media, and the response was overwhelming. Among those who stepped forward was David Atkins, a close friend we had met just a few years earlier while living in San Francisco. After extensive testing, David, now based in Chicago, was confirmed as Matt’s best match. In September 2021, David donated his kidney to Matt—giving him the priceless gift of renewed health.

We understood how fortunate they were: that David had the resources to fly to our hospital in Boston for testing, the flexibility to take time off work, and the support of his family to make donation possible. We also recognized that this is not the case for the thousands of many living donors out there. Many potential donors face financial and logistical barriers that prevent them from helping. Inspired to change that, we partnered with the American Kidney Fund to create the Living Donor Assistance Program.

The initiative provides grants to living kidney donors to offset expenses not covered by insurance—including childcare, travel, and lost wages due to time taken off work. Since its launch in late 2023, the program has distributed more than $220,000 to over 120 donors across five states and the District of Columbia. Initially launched in Matt and Julia’s home state of Massachusetts, it has expanded to service donors and patients in hospitals located in New York City, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois.

Today, Julia, David and me remain steadfast advocates for kidney patients and living donors. Together, they have transformed one act of friendship into a broader movement of generosity, ensuring that more lives can be saved through living donation.