Kingston Donor Steps Forward: Local Woman To Donate kidney After Recipient’s Decade-Long Wait
USA: A long-awaited kidney transplant is now set in motion for Peter Schaffron, whose search for a match stretched across a decade. The transplant will pair Schaffron with Church member Laura Ryan, who volunteered to be a living donor earlier this year. Ryan registered in March and completed a series of tests and blood work that confirmed compatibility for a direct kidney donation.
Medical screening revealed that Ryan’s organ would be as well matched as a daughter donating to a father, establishing an unusually close immunological fit and clearing the way toward surgery. Ryan learned of the compatibility through her testing before Schaffron was notified, and she broke the news to him in a profoundly emotional moment. Schaffron responded with intense gratitude, contacting his family to share that the match had been confirmed.
Their connection carries a string of small-world coincidences: both live within two miles of one another in Kingston and attend Cross Creek Community Church in Trucksville, yet they had not known each other before the match. Ryan also had a childhood friend who once lived next door to Schaffron, adding another layer of coincidence to the developing donor–recipient story. Both individuals describe the match in spiritual terms and view it as a life-changing intervention.
The operation is scheduled for December at Geisinger in Danville. Schaffron has expressed deep thanks and framed the gift as a chance to reclaim time with his wife, children and grandchildren, including the prospect of watching grandchildren reach milestones he feared might be out of reach. The planned December procedure will determine the next chapter for both donor and recipient as they move from match confirmation toward surgical transplant and recovery.
