BY TIFFANY TOWNER
Editor in Chief
TOWANDA — E.J. Flynn knows what it’s like to be in need of a kidney.
Flynn, the president of Flynn Energy, had been on a waiting list for a kidney for two years before having a transplant in January, thanks to an organ donation from a friend.
Sympathetic to those in similar situations, Flynn heard about Towanda resident Kelly McNally, who has focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in stage 5. McNally said her kidneys are currently functioning at 10 percent, and she’s in need of a kidney. She’s been on a waiting list for one from someone with blood type O since August of last year, she said.
McNally was chosen to be the recipient of donations received through Flynn Energy’s annual golf tournament, which was held in June. On Veterans Day, at a Veterans’ Appreciation Event held at Flynn Beverage, Flynn presented McNally with a check for the total raised through the golf tournament: $10,500.
When McNally had first heard that Flynn wanted to donate the money raised at the tournament to her, she said she was honored.
“You read about it happening with other people, you don’t expect it to happen to you,” she said. On Wednesday, she accepted the donation from Flynn.
“This community is awesome,” she said.
Both Flynn and McNally talked about the importance of organ donation. Flynn said he’d like to see some kind of local event to get people interested in organ donation, and explain what the process is like.
“You get to save someone’s life,” he said.
Flynn added that his mother, Alice Foster of Towanda, is also looking for a kidney donor. She also has type O blood.
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In response to the donation given with the overwhelming amount of support and kind words, E.J. asked us to post a statement on his behalf:
“From the bottom of my heart we thank all of you for your kind words of support towards myself, my family and my company. It was not even a year ago that I faced the same battle that Kelly is fighting today. Kidney failure is a very critical and daunting disease. Without the luck of finding a kidney donor that meets very specific criteria those facing kidney failure are left in a terrible position. Thankfully, I was lucky to find a match from a good local friend Cricket Potter. To say I owe my life to him is an understatement. We hope that you find our donation as a way to raise awareness for those desperately searching for a matching donor. The voice our community has to fight back against this terrible disease reaches far beyond any monetary donation. As you read this statement I ask that you help us raise support for those in need in our area.”
Warmly,
E.J. Flynn
E.J. and family’s fight is not over. E.J. and Nathan’s mother Alice Foster lives in Towanda. She has 8 young grandchildren. Alice desperately needs to find a matching kidney donor as she receives dialysis treatment now . Let’s help Alice find her match.
Alice’s blood type is O+. Her email is alicebfoster53@gmail.com. If you think you might be a match please reach out to her to get more information.
We encourage you to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ this post to help get the word out. With your help we can change the lives of these two and hopefully many more.