Emmanuel Zunz with his son and dog.Photo: Courtesy Emmanuel Zunz
Emmanuel Zunz is a 49-year-old bachelor and CEO who just became a first-time father.
Zunz needs a kidney transplant. It will be his third — and his last.
The executive suffers fromIgA nephropathy, an autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys' filters. Zunz learned he had the disease when he was 23, and his kidneys failed six years later. His first kidney transplant came through his sister’s generosity four months later. The kidney worked perfectly for several years but eventually declined, and Zunz’s father donated one of his kidneys in an emergency situation. Now that organ has failed, and Zunz is on frequent dialysis while he balances first-time fatherhood.
“I really had wanted to get a transplant before, and I thought for sure I was going to get one, and it just didn’t work out,” he says as the dialysis machine beeps in the background. “That’s part of the reason I want to be more open about it in public and do a campaign because I can’t wait anymore.”
Zunz has a voucher through the National Kidney Registry. He was assured the wait for a new kidney wouldn’t be longer than six months, but that deadline has passed. Zunz was told of two kidneys in the last month that were potential matches, but neither worked out.
In a desperate attempt to find a healthy kidney for himself — and raise awareness about kidney donation in general — Zunz launchedeztransplant.org, where people can sign up to be a kidney donor for the executive. Potential donors must be healthy, under 50 years old, and have an O blood type to qualify.
In addition, Zunz will donate $1 for every share of this story up to $100,000 to theNational Kidney Foundation.
“I’m a person that likes to take action,” he says. “I’m an entrepreneur. I get things done. I want to use my situation to raise awareness because I don’t want it just to be about me.”
Emmanuel Zunz with his dog.Courtesy Emmanuel Zunz
It isn’t just about him – the search is also about being the best father he can be to his infant son. Zunz always knew he wanted to be a father but had a failed marriage, set aside his personal life and invested himself entirely into his business. Then he realized he was getting older rapidly and feared his time was running out to become an active father. He was healthy when he reached out to an agency and spent months searching for a compatible egg donor and a surrogate.
By the time he found the donor and a surrogate in early 2020, Zunz was starting to get sick. COVID-19 was creeping into the news cycle, but he was still confident he would get a transplant and didn’t want to stop the process. He told the agency the truth about his health condition, and they replied that as long as he knew how to manage it, he could move forward. Within weeks, Zunz received his diagnosis, a Nashville tornado heavily damaged his home, and the pandemic triggered sweeping shutdowns.
“I’m not looking for people to feel sorry for me,” he says. “I just need a kidney. Disease doesn’t discriminate. And donors have a much more fruitful life. You’re saving somebody’s life.”
While Zunz lives with the anxiety of not knowing what health struggles tomorrow will bring, he’s confident in the future.
“I have a ton of hope that I know my life is going to improve,” he says.
To help Zunz find a kidney, visiteztransplant.org.
source: people.com
