Let it be known that Crossing Broad has called for Kenny from the Dirty 30 to be permanently banned from appearing on 94 WIP. This is due to the frequency of his calls and also for his role in the booing of Donovan McNabb at the 1999 NFL Draft. It was, perhaps, the ultimate low point in the history of Philadelphia sporting fandom.

But Kenny is diehard Birds fan, so he’s one of us, and he’s getting a new kidney this week. It’s a GREAT human interest story, and it goes something like this:

  1. Kenny’s “donor” is a fellow WIP listener named Bob Wright.*
  2. When Bob was a kid, his family developed a relationship with a local barber, who was a total stranger. They helped him run his shop after his parents died.
  3. Bob and the barber maintained contact even after Wright moved to Bucks County, from Juniata. Both listened to Angelo’s morning show and would talk about it on the phone.
  4. One day, Bob heard Kenny note on the radio that he needed a kidney donor, and was asking for help.
  5. Bob pulled over, called WIP, and offered to donate.

He explained it this way:

I felt like God was talking to me through Kenny as he explained his need for a donor with A-positive blood type. Kenny told the listeners to call the studio line and leave their name and contact information if they would consider being a kidney donor. I immediately pulled into a parking lot and made the call. Joe Weachter (morning show producer) answered my call. I told him I’ll donate a kidney and I told him to give Kenny my contact information. I was a bit naive. I was thinking I can get one of my kidneys removed on my days off from work during the Christmas holiday, and then be back to work January 2nd. I thought I could have the surgery without anyone knowing and without missing any work. Like I said, I was a bit naïve. I didn’t realize it would take close to 11 months from the time I made the commitment until the day of the surgery.

People have been asking me questions about my decision to donate a kidney. People ask me if I know the recipient. People are curious about how this all came about. It’s quite simple to me. I have 2 of something that I only need 1 of. Someone else needs 1 of something I have and don’t need. I knew I was donating one of my kidneys the moment I heard Kenny speak of his need for a kidney on the radio.

*There is a catch, hence the asterisk above.

Bob is approved to be a donor, but he is not a “genetic match” for Kenny. So what happens is that Bob is going to donate his kidney to someone in another part of the country, and Kenny’s kidney is going to come from elsewhere. But the premise is the same; Bob doing a random act of kindness here. They have a nationwide portal that basically matches donors to recipients, and even though Kenny isn’t getting Bob’s kidney directly, it’s the contribution to the portal that makes the gears turn.

Kenny is 56 years old and wants everybody to get an annual physical. That’s how he found out he had a rare kidney disease. He’s been on dialysis since February and tonight is his last treatment, pre-surgery. Hopefully all goes well, and he can get back to feeling like himself again.

Great stuff from Bob Wright and the WIP community for turning this into a fantastic story.

Here’s a picture of Kenny and Bob: