Local organ Donor faces major surgical complications

Native Rockland County family man and former Shark Tank contestant Kevin Kiernan made the selfless decision back in January to donate a kidney to the elderly relative of a Villanova University alumni in need.

A man known by family, friends and his community as a kind and generous soul, Kiernan is now paying an unforeseen price after being saddled with a multitude of health and financial problems following the procedure.

The decision seemed like a simple no-brainer for Kiernan, originally of Congers, whose “Kenndoo” attitude was the mantra behind all his life choices. “I decided to give the kidney transplant and that’s how this journey started,” Kiernan says.

Unfortunately, the challenges and hardships that would follow the operation have been far worse than expected. 

In detail, Kiernan described the specific health problems that followed which began with a follow up phone call to the NYU Langone Transplant Center.

The back and forth process started with a hernia which required another trip back to the hospital for a four hour surgery. His next setback was then followed by a hematoma surgery. Finally,  Kierman underwent another procedure to repair a medical mesh implant which led to a serious infection. This began the onset of the problems that Kiernan is currently facing.

“No one expected this deterioration,” Kiernan says. “We went into this thinking that it would be a few days in the hospital and then a few weeks at home.”

Kiernan nor the medical staff could identify the specific root of the post-surgical issues that were persisting following the transplant after undergoing a total of five additional procedures.

“They had to create their own test for me,” Kiernan jokingly noted. 

To compound the challenges Kiernan is facing, the organ donor was notified in April by the NY Langone that they would no longer cover his medical expenses, meaning that Kiernan’s future medical bills would have to be covered by his insurance, which he doesn’t have, or with money from his own pocket.

In addition to their physical and mental toll, the financial burdens of these procedures have been heavy on Kiernan and his three children with the near unprecedented surgical effects leaving him unable to work or provide for his family.

“I’m in the one percent,” he says. “I lost everything in this surgery.”

Kiernan’s son Zachary is now sending out a call to action to donate and help his father as well as the rest of the family so they are able to give him the medical attention he so desperatly needs

A GoFundMe page (https://gofund.me/1da0ec08) has been organized by Zachary with a $20,000 end goal and as other sources such as Kiernan’s alma mater Villanova have been helping to spread the word to help get this beloved man back up and on his feet.

After an eight month long fight, the Kiernan family is hoping a happy and healthy ending is in sight for them in the near future as they continue praying for the love and support needed to move forward.