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No. 4 Vol. 11
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November 2022
Kidney Urgently Needed for North Caldwell Father of Three
F
By Tina Pappas rank Reali was once the picture of strength and vitality. The 55-year-old husband and father of three is a former body builder who worked out his entire life - a far cry from his current circumstances where he is anxiously awaiting a kidney donation. “I was a very active person,” said Frank. “ This really takes a lot out of your life.” These days, Frank needs to have dialysis three times a week and four hours each time ever since doctors discovered his kidneys were failing in January 2019. The North Caldwell resident who was born and grew up in Frosinone, Italy until the age of seven, moved to the U.S with his family where they settled in Orange. After graduating from Orange High School, he then resided in West Orange. After marrying his wife Susan, they moved to North Caldwell. He has worked in local construction for several years before starting his own landscaping and construction business with brother when he was in his early 20s. His wife Susan, originally from Little Falls, said she first realized something was wrong three years ago when his kidneys were failing and had urged him to get checked out. “I could tell something was not right. His legs were restless and there were signs he couldn’t sleep,” she said. “That was when I told his brother who he ran the business with that he needed to go to the hospital because he was not responding to his answering machine.” Susan explained that he was immediately put on dialysis and goes three times a week to receive his treatments
at Fresenius Kidney Care in Livingston. Frank added that getting dialysis several times a week has taken a toll on his body. “Now I get very winded and it’s hard for me to work,” he explained. “I used to work out my whole life and was obsessed with body building. I’m just praying every day that I need this to end. It’s truly been a living nightmare. I can’t really go on with everyday life, and I am hoping for a match soon.” Frank is currently on the transplant list at Barnabas Hospital since January 2019. His blood type is O. Susan reached out to Donna Tissot, who is a kidney advocate to try and assist them. “I reached out to her because her brother-in-law had gotten a kidney transplant in Little Falls where I grew up and I saw all of her social media posts,” Susan explained. “We were happy when she said she would be advocating for us.” Susan also said that their three children - Michael, 23, March, 20 and Julia, 17 are hoping for the best. “It’s been several years now that he needs a kidney, so it becomes unfortunately a part of every day life,” she commented. Donna Tissot also commented that Frank’s condition will only worsen if he doesn’t get a donor and transplant. She asks if anyone is considering donating to either register online or call the transplant number. “Please make sure to indicate you’d like to donate to Frank Reali,” she said. The St. Barnabas Transplant Department’s contact
Frank Reali Photo courtesy of Susan Reali
number is 973-322-5346. The online referral link is www. cbmlivingdonororg. “It’s very hard to watch your loved one slowly decline and have no energy,” she added. “You can live a very normal life with one kidney, so please consider being Frank’s selfless donor so he can enjoy a second chance at life.”