Norman Biondi donated a kidney to his daughter Emily, who suffered kidney failure at the end of her sophomore year in college. Says Emily, "My father is my hero. He didn’t just transform my life; he gave it back to me."

Norman and Emily's Story

As a vocal performance/dance major at Florida Southern College, Emily Biondi was incredibly active. She was always engaged in a variety of activities while trying to stay in shape to be on the dance team. But at the end of her sophomore year, she became very ill with high blood pressure and a fever that led to complete kidney failure. After being rushed to the hospital for a blood transfusion, she started the course of painful hemodialysis sessions.

“Nine months of hemodialysis took its toll on my body and spirit,” says Emily. “The prednisone made my cheeks swell and I gained a lot of weight. I had to transfer schools to a university in Maryland. Just walking to class made me stop for breaks. I used to be in great physical shape, but I now looked like a different person.”

At only 19 years of age, neither she nor her doctors understood why her kidneys had failed. A kidney biopsy showed scar tissue that led doctors to believe that the failure was due to some undetected virus Emily had contracted when she was young. The end result was the same: she needed a kidney transplant.

“My loving father (Norman Biondi) elected to be my kidney donor,” Emily says. “The hardest part of the process was watching my dad being rolled away to surgery a couple hours before me.” The surgery took place on December 19, 2003; they were both at home for Christmas.

“About a month after surgery, I felt I could walk to classes without having to take any breaks. I started to feel healthier and happier than I ever felt before. Soon I started to dance and sing again. I had gotten my life back! My father is my hero. He didn’t just transform my life, he gave it back to me.”

Norman replies that “for me, donation was an easy decision – a lot easier than watching my daughter go through dialysis – especially, these days, with the laproscopic procedure. Plus, once we decided to go ahead with it, the support from everyone – the hospital, the transplant center, the doctors – was excellent.”

Norman played another role for Emily, coaching her participation in the 2006 U.S. Transplant Games. Emily both sang at the closing ceremony and competed as an athlete, earning one gold medal in long jump and three silver medals. Her long jump win has qualified her to participate in the World Transplant Games next year in Thailand.

“My dad arranged for me to meet with a professional track coach so I could learn how to do the long jump,” Emily says. “But the medal that is most meaningful to me is the silver I got in the 5K race. This event was open to everyone who attended the games. My father and I ran the entire race side-by- side. I wanted to quit but he kept pushing me. Both of us finished at the same time, but only I could win a medal because I was an organ recipient. But it is actually my father – my hero, my organ donor – who deserves it.”