Who Am I

I'd like for you to know a little bit about the person that you're considering donating a kidney to. 

Present - I'm a 65 y.o. man that has End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD - my kidneys are shot). My kidneys were stressed due to my liver failure, which was cured by a liver transplant. I am an ex-smoker with 27+ years between me and my last cigarette. I haven't drank alcohol in 5+ years and I don't do recreational drugs. I friggin swear occasionally, although I'm trying to quit.  😁 

I have retired from work due to serious back issues and other maladies. I am on Disability. To filter my blood and fluids, I do hemodialysis 3 days a week for 4+ hours each session (see Dialysis section). I own a home in Shrewsbury, MA where I live with my two cats, picture is Bubba (4,M,white) and Neenee (2,F,tortoise). 

Past - I was born/grew up in West Mifflin, PA living with mom/Mary, dad/Don, and 3 siblings Gary, Rita. and Ron. My parents are no longer here, but I thank God that all three siblings are still with me. We get to vacation together in such varied places as Montego Bay in Jamaica, Orlando in Florida, and The Poconos in Pennsylvania. My sister-in-law Chris and my sister's boyfriend Todd always accompanies us.

I graduated from my local high school and attended Penn State University. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE). I also attended Clark University (Worcester, MA) and graduated with honors with a Master's in Business Administration (MBA).

During my 37-year professional career, I worked with companies both large and small. I spent the bulk of my years at two large corporations, spending 15 years at each: Digital Equipment Corporation and EMC Corporation. I performed varied jobs such as Product Engineer, Test Engineer, Applications Engineer, Signal Integrity Engineer, and Sustaining Engineer. I held both people management and lab management positions in each corporation. I also held short-term stints at Lucent Technologies, Sprague Electric, and Electronic Designs Incorporated.