New Bedford Man Desperately Searching for New Kidneys

Pablo Zayas of New Bedford has two failing kidneys and could use some help.

For the past five years, Zayas has been struggling with pain in his kidneys, resulting in a decline in his health. His energy is limited and he is in and out of DaVita New Bedford Dialysis in North Dartmouth every other day.

Being that he is unable to work and mostly bedbound, Zayas is fighting for his life, patiently hoping that his luck will turn and his turn will finally come up on the waiting list for a donor. Unfortunately, he has fallen short thus far.

Zayas has a loving family; his wife and four kids are all unable to donate since their blood types are incompatible with his. Zayas is B positive, so in order for him to receive a kidney, the donor must be one of the following blood types:

• B negative
• B positive
• O negative
• O positive

Zayas is also well known in the community for his love for local baseball as "Umpire Pablo" or "Coach Pablo."

Dixie Zayas, one of his daughters, has been reaching out across the SouthCoast, searching for any sign that will help lead her father towards a saving Grace.

"We won’t give up hope on him," Dixie said. "He’s currently fighting this daily and still finds time to be a great husband, father, uncle and grandfather to us. He’s our world and we are reaching out asking for help. This is a big commitment and we understand. This man deserves people to fight for him. He has the brightest soul."

Anyone interested in donating a kidney to Zayas, please reach out to the family's coordinator and case manager Molly Brosnian at (617)-643-5589.

I've seen it done before and with limited time and a strong outreach, and I am confident that the community will come together to find a match for Zayas. After all, we all deserve a second chance at life, even if we had no control in the first place.

Hang tight, Pablo, sending prayers and strong optimism your way.