A Letter from David
Dear friends and family,
David here. What a crazy few weeks!
On August 18, 2026, after a couple months of puzzling symptoms and a doctor’s visit, I learned that my kidneys had failed. It was a total shock, and within hours, I was in the NYU Langone ICU getting endlessly poked, prodded, imaged, and biopsied.
I got out of the ICU on August 31, two weeks later. Not fun, but totally necessary and eye-opening in too many ways to count. I’ll never be able to repay the doctors, nurses, hospital staff, friends, and family who helped me.
The good news is that I’m doing way, way better now. I’m feeling close to 100%, somehow—walking around, thinking clearly, more or less like my old self.
The somewhat less good news is that … I need a new kidney.
I can’t convey how hard it is to ask for something like this. But some of you may be in a position to help me by donating a kidney, so here’s the information.
Until I get a transplant, I have to get dialysis three times per week to make up for my inadequate kidney function. Each session is three-and-a-half hours long and, apparently, pretty hard on my cardiovascular system. People can live for a long time on dialysis, but it’s a tougher and shorter life.
So, a kidney transplant is essential, the sooner the better.
The best transplants come from what are called “living donors.” Those are essentially loved ones, family or friends, who have healthy kidneys and would not suffer health consequences from donating one of their two kidneys.
The other route, “deceased donors,” on average takes about four years for a kidney from an organ donor who has passed away. The wait requires years of dialysis, with less knowledge about the donor and lower life expectancy for the patient.
That means a living donor is the way to go.
The living donor process
To find a living donor, we’ve been advised to cast as wide a net as possible, to help us get a sense of the universe of people considering donating.
The first step toward donating is a simple, confidential online health questionnaire (opens in a new tab). This is from NYU Langone, where I’m being treated. It took my mom fifteen minutes to fill it out. That is the main and only thing to do right now.
The health questionnaire is just an initial filter and totally noncommittal.
For background, here’s information (opens in a new tab) about NYU Langone’s living donor program. If you’d like to speak with a coordinator there, call (212) 263-3621 or email NYUTrLivingDonor@NYULangone.org.
My doctors at NYU are in the process of determining via genetic testing whether I need a family donor or an unrelated donor. We should know for sure in about three weeks.
What happens next
Donors who remain eligible after this first form and want to go forward with the process will then begin the “workup” phase—a series of tests to make sure the donor is healthy and would suffer no health consequences from the donation. This workup takes about a day to complete. It can be done in any city in the country, and there is no expense to the donor.
That’s the lay of the land.
It’s hard to believe, but if this process goes smoothly, I could be more or less back to my old life—and life expectancy—a year from now.
I’d love to talk with you directly if you’re interested, or just want to chat about my experience. Please reach out over Instagram (opens in a new tab), email, iMessage, or the contact form at the bottom of this page.
The process that NYU runs is so confidential that they will not be telling me who fills out the form. I’d love to hear from those of you who do, but that is optional.
I get very emotional these days when I think about the people who have helped me get to this moment. I can barely wrap my head around their generosity. Thank you so, so much for even reading this letter.
Love,
David Shayne
September 14, 2026
PS If you fill out the NYU form, you will be asked whether to donate through a voucher program or as a “directed donor.” My transplant team has advised me that getting a directed donor makes the most sense at this point. If this changes down the line, I will let you know. (Some of you may prefer the voucher program—if so, I recommend calling the number above for more information. It is a more complex option, but still very helpful to me and the stranger who receives your donated kidney.)
PPS Also, for the NYU form: you can answer “Yes” to the question about whether I am currently at NYU Langone’s transplant center, and you can text, email, or Instagram DM (opens in a new tab) me to get my date of birth if you don’t know it. (Or fill out the contact form below, I’ll be checking it!)
PPPS More than 95,000 people in the U.S. are now waiting for a kidney transplant. If a match with me is not possible, please know that donating to a stranger can save a life. An aunt of mine did this recently and I appreciate her donation now more than ever.
