Herringbone bud: how a stranger saved the life of a police officer on New Years

The NYPD officer finally met the man who donated one of his kidneys to him so the police officer could live. It took years for their meeting to take place. They finally met in person on December 8. ABC 7 NY.

"It's fantastic! I just met a member of my family, ”NYPD Harbor Unit Officer Tommy Alexander said of William Gaspari, the former police officer he didn’t know who saved his life.

Tommy Alexander was in desperate need of a kidney several years ago and was undergoing four hours of dialysis three times a week at the time. His story was shared inside the NYPD hoping to find a donor. Hearing about the situation, Gaspari decided to give one of his kidneys to a department colleague, although the men worked in different areas and did not know each other.

“I thought that I would be one of many who would express a desire to become a donor, but it turned out that I was the only one,” Gaspari was surprised.

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Gaspari donated an organ to Alexander through a voucher program with the National Kidney Registry. Doctors performed the transplant on December 30, 2020, and now the rescued and the savior have finally met.

Alexander and Gaspari's first meeting was special in many ways, and it gave hope to yet another NYPD officer who was facing a severe test. Officer Vadrien Alston suffers from stage 4 renal failure. The mother of two hopes to find a donor for herself, but time is running out.

“I’m more or less sure there’s a kidney,” Alston said. "It will mean a lot to me ... it will give me a second chance to live life."

Alexander understands her very much and empathizes. He asks his colleagues to do the same miracle for Vadrien, as they did for him.