Jim Snow, the president of the union representing Swampscott’s firefighters, made a public appeal late last month urging members of other local unions to consider becoming a kidney donor, with Snow himself in urgent need of a new kidney.
Snow, 64, has spent 40 years in the Swampscott Fire Department, where he holds the rank of captain. Two decades ago, he was diagnosed with IGA nephropathy, meaning his kidneys fail to filter properly. For 19 years, Snow was able to manage the diagnosis with medication, until he contracted COVID-19 in 2020. Last February, doctors determined that Snow’s kidneys were functioning at around 10% and encouraged him to begin looking for a donor.
Eventually, six people came forward to volunteer as donors for Snow. But, all but one have been so far rejected by the Brigham and Women’s Transplant Center in Boston for a “variety of reasons,” Snow said.
Now, Snow’s kidney function is down to around 8 or 9%, and while he has been able to stay off dialysis for the time being, he might soon have to begin undergoing the procedure. Within 24 hours of posting his letter to the Swampscott Fire Fighters Union Local 1459 Facebook page, Snow said at least a dozen known potential donors offered to sign up and be evaluated to see if they are a match.
“It’s just incredible,” Snow said of the response to his letter.
While numerous hurdles remain ahead of Snow and any potential donors, who are first instructed to fill out a questionnaire before undergoing a more thorough examination process, he remains hopeful. Two of the donors who have come forward recently have the same blood type as Snow, which he said is one of the key factors for identifying a match.
And even if Snow himself isn’t helped, those who do enroll as a potential donor now could be connected with another patient in need of a kidney somewhere else in the country.
“If a donor can help someone else, that’s huge,” Snow said. “To me, anybody that even considers it and goes into this and signs up on the website to do the questionnaire is an extraordinary hero.”
Snow said he opted to go public with his search at the urging of a lieutenant in the Fire Department. Having seen a story in The Daily Item about a Lynn Public Schools teacher making a public plea for a new kidney, and a story in The Salem News about a teacher at Essex Tech who received a new kidney from the school’s superintendent, Snow was convinced that going public was his best option, especially as he began to run out of choices.
While the new slate of donors are evaluated, Snow is awaiting a colonoscopy to be added to the nationwide registry.
“It’s been a long road and the road hasn’t ended yet,” he said. “Hopefully sometime soon.”
