According to Christian doctrine Jesus walked on water healed the sick and even raised the dead. He told his believers in John 14:12 “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and they will do even greater things than these.” Senior Matt Deseno a soon-to-be kidney donor on behalf of an ill friend and fellow classmate takes this verse at face value.
“When Christ said that you will do greater things than I that’s amazing Deseno said. Inconvenient acts of love—that’s what transforms the world. And it could literally save someone’s life.”
Deseno said he had contemplated the idea of Jesus’ sacrifice this past summer and upon returning to Pepperdine in the fall was told that a friend and fellow Pepperdine senior was ill with Lupus. Deseno met the young woman at University Ministries during their first year at Pepperdine and their relationship has grown since he said.
Now the friend is struggling with a quickly advancing life-threatening illness. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease and according to the Lupus Foundation of America results in the body attacking its own healthy tissue. In this case the student’s kidneys are affected and she awaits a healthy kidney on the transplant list.
Due to Deseno’s incompatible blood match with the student in need the two cannot participate in a direct organ transplant. But thanks to the Kidney Exchange program currently being used by health systems nation wide Deseno still has the ability to donate on behalf of his friend increasing her probability of getting a compatible donor in less time.
According to the UCLA Transplantation Services website “A kidney exchange is an innovative twist on efforts aimed at increasing the donor pool by giving people who are unable to receive a kidney from a loved one or friend the opportunity to still receive a kidney through an exchange between incompatible donor-recipient pairs.”
As a participant of the program Deseno will undergo transplant surgery when the system finds someone in need of his organ— thereby “bumping” his friend up on the list. The future donor said that the surgery is relatively simple and recovering is only two to three days.
“If you get to know God than it doesn’t feel like a burden to do stuff like this Deseno said. It’s not a burden its’ just the obvious response. And I’m stocked to do it. The idea that God gave me two kidneys and I only need one makes Christ’s sacrifice possible. Turn’s out it’s totally doable! It’s exciting.”
While the patient awaits a donor match and currently undergoes chemotherapy once a week Deseno said that news of his “gift” to her was encouraging and she began to cry when hearing of her friend’s planned organ donation. As an only child the chronically ill student could not receive an in-family donation.
“I think she was encouraged when I told her what I was doing he said. Just to know that not all the decks are stacked against her.”
Deseno hopes that his actions will be an inspiration to other young people of what is possible among “inconvenient acts of love.” He said several students have since expressed interest in similar donations.
“I felt like I could engulf myself in Christianity and redefine it … If I was given the ability to save someone’s life why would I not want to do that?”