In 2008, Chris Melz was a hip-hop radio personality and tour DJ with two healthy kidneys. When his friend Will, who’d had juvenile diabetes since the age of 18, finally needed a new kidney, Chris quietly called the hospital to learn about becoming a donor.

He didn’t mention it to Will, and had no idea if he was even a good match, he said, but he felt that he “couldn’t just go off and live my life, knowing that someone I cared about, someone who cared about me and always had my back, couldn’t do the same.”

Out of all Will’s family members and friends, Chris was the only person who came forward and got tested as a possible match. Fortunately, he was, and the surgery was done in April 2009.

Preparation, Surgery, and Recovery

Chris felt well-prepared for the operation. The transplant team “walked him through everything,” he said, giving him videos to watch, encouraging him to ask questions, and having ready, thorough answers.

The surgery went smoothly, though he stayed in the hospital for a few extra days due to some post-surgery gas cramps and pain.

Aside from his brief recovery period, Chris says, the surgery didn’t slow him down or have any negative effects on his daily activities or quality of life.

His journey was life-changing, however, and altered the course of his career.

A New Life Direction

Realizing “the power” of donation to people in need, Chris reached out to various nonprofits and started speaking at events about his experience. 

“I wanted to share my story,” he says, “so that people who are considering being a donor can see that it’s not the big, bad scary procedure that they’ve been told it is, or thought it was.”

Soon he wanted to do even more, so he went back to school and became a registered nurse, finding work with an organ procurement organization (OPO) in New York. There, he helped facilitate the donation process by working with the families of patients who were brain dead and on ventilators. He also assessed deceased patients for organ donation eligibility.

“That was a very, very tough job,” he says, “because you’re reminded every second of how precious life is. We all hope to live to be 80 or 90 years old, but many of my cases lived to be a fraction of that age.”

Chris became a fierce advocate for living donations. Following his stint at the OPO, he went to work as a nurse on the transplant team at the hospital where he and his friend Will had their surgeries.

One of the first questions he asked new patients was whether or not they had a living donor in mind, as having someone ready and willing to donate helps speed up the process.

“Eight out of ten times, the patient will say, ‘No, I don’t have anybody. I haven’t asked anybody. I don’t even know where to begin,’” he says. “It can be very emotional.”

Feeling Inspired

It was this realization of just how many patients didn’t even know how to begin seeking a living donor that gave Chris the idea to use his knowledge and experience to start a nonprofit called the Kidney Search Foundation. 

“That’s where I felt I could excel the most,” he says, “to give what I could give to the kidney community.” Most new patients don’t understand the benefits of receiving from a living donor instead of a deceased one, he explains. “The reality of receiving from a living does equate to a better quality of life post-transplant. It just does.”

His prior experience as a DJ and radio personality came in handy, he adds, when it comes to promotion. “Essentially, promoting someone’s need for a living donor is like promoting somebody’s new album.” While there are obvious vast differences, he says, the important thing is “knowing how to get the word out and connect those dots.”

The Kidney Search Foundation

Chris started the Foundation in July 2021 with his own money. The way it works, he says, is:

• The patient goes to the organization’s website, where they’re guided to reach out via email.
• In response to their email, they’ll receive a profile page to which they can add whatever they want to share with others regarding possible living kidney donation. Uploads usually include their:
  • Personal story
  • Photos
  • Blood type
  • Transplant center
  • Contact information

They’re not limited to this information, Chris says. They can share “whatever they’d like to share, with the hopes of getting in front of the right eyes.”

• After setting up their profile, patients can also choose to receive promotional items such as:
• T-shirts
• Car window decals
• Car magnets
• Lawn signs
• Banners

All the Foundation’s services are free to those who need them.

Success Stories

Since starting to actively serve patients two years ago, the Foundation has helped more than 100 organ seekers, and every success story is gratifying. 

One 22-year-old man found a kidney when an altruistic man in another state went to the website looking for a recipient. The young man’s profile was so compelling that the prospective donor made contact, got tested, and wound up being a match.

Another patient found a donor by driving around with decals on his truck, and another patient, a woman, found a donor after being on dialysis for 20 years.

Letting the Foundation know when a campaign has been successful and providing a testimonial  is essential, Chris says, so he can demonstrate and quantify the organization’s positive impact for future patients, donors, and sponsors.

Ultimately, Chris “can’t stress enough” the importance of donations. 

“Find the courage to ask,” he urges hopeful recipients, “even if you don’t yet know whether or not you’re a match. That’s the first step.”

*Responsum Health. (2024, November 8). The Power of Living Kidney Donation: Chris Melz (Kidney Search Foundation) Talks to Responsum Health [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BKQ4qbQb39U 

Responsum Health closely vets all sources to ensure that we always provide you with high-quality, reliable information. We do not, however, endorse or recommend any specific providers, treatments, or products, and the use of a given source does not imply an endorsement of any provider, treatment, medication, or procedure discussed within.