Years in the Making: Renewal Facilitates its First Living Kidney Transplant in Australia

For the first time in Australia, Renewal has facilitated a living kidney transplant—marking a milestone years in the making and an important step toward expanding living kidney donation across the globe.

Renewal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about living kidney donation and facilitating life-saving kidney transplants. Through education, advocacy, and comprehensive support for both donors and recipients, Renewal guides individuals through every stage of the transplant process, making living kidney donation possible for those in need.

The recipient, Stanley, a Sydney dentist, spent nearly 25 years caring for generations of patients in the Randwick and Maroubra communities. A devoted husband, father of 2, and grandfather of 9 KA”H, he dedicated his life to looking after others. But as kidney failure gradually took its toll, he found himself in need of someone willing to save his.

That life-changing act of kindness came from Leah, a mother from Melbourne.

The journey began when Stanley’s son reached out to Yaisef Telsner, an old friend who had previously donated a kidney through Renewal, setting the search for a living donor in motion. Recognizing that awareness of living kidney donation in Australia remained limited, Renewal partnered with Chabad Youth to host a kidney donation awareness and swabbing event. Renewal enlisted Mendy Goldberg, a previous Renewal kidney donor who had recently relocated from Toronto to Australia, to help lead the initiative. The event introduced community members to living kidney donation and gave attendees the opportunity to begin compatibility testing.

Among those who attended was Leah.

Months later, testing revealed that she was a match. She made the extraordinary decision to donate one of her kidneys, giving a man she had never met the opportunity for a new lease in life.

Making that moment possible required far more than finding a donor. Because living kidney donation remains relatively uncommon in Australia, the medical, logistical, and regulatory process required years of coordination among transplant specialists, medical authorities, and Renewal’s team before the surgery could finally take place.

Renewal’s Australian liaison, Irit Lang, led the effort, dedicating hundreds of hours over several years to identifying a compatible donor, guiding and holding the hands of both Stanley and Leah through every stage of the process, and coordinating with medical teams across multiple time zones. 

 Yaisef, who had been involved with the case in its earliest stages, happened to be in Melbourne for a family simcha and represented Renewal on the day of the transplant, helping Renewal maintain its signature hands on support throughout the Kidney donation journey.

“This transplant is about far more than one successful surgery,” said Irit Lang. “It demonstrates what is possible when awareness, education, and extraordinary kindness come together. We hope this milestone inspires many more Australians to learn about living kidney donation and consider how they, too, can save a life.”

Renewal extends its heartfelt gratitude to Leah, whose selfless gift made the transplant possible; to the Australian transplant teams whose expertise guided the process; and to the many volunteers and community members whose dedication helped transform an ambitious vision into reality.

For Renewal, this historic transplant is more than a single success—it is proof that education, perseverance, and the generosity of living donors can change lives. The organization hopes this milestone marks the beginning of a new era in Australia, where many more patients will be given the opportunity to receive the gift of life through living kidney donation.