Belmont Cameli once donated his kidney to a stranger in the hopes of aiding a friend.
The 28-year-old Off Campus star wanted to try and help his childhood friend Brendan Flaherty when he had kidney failure and needed dialysis.
According to a report by Daily Mail, he had to become part of a 14-person organ donation chain that ultimately ended up saving the lives of seven people. The reason he had to start at the beginning of a chain of 14 people is because he wasn’t a match for his friend and so the chain allowed him to facilitate an eventual donation.
The chain went on until Brendan was able to get a kidney from someone that he did not know and ultimately making for a successful chain.
The chain continued until Flaherty received a kidney from someone he didn’t know, with a total of seven patients receiving life-saving donations in the complicated but successful, kidney matchmaking project.
“I was blessed with the opportunity and privilege to save a life,” Belmont wrote during an Instagram post he shared amid his 2018 hospital stay. “The fact of the matter is that most of us have two good kidneys, but thousands of people struggle to live day to day with only one failing kidney. Every day, 20 people die waiting for a kidney transplant. It takes patients an average of 3.5 years on the waitlist before receiving a transplant, and that is only IF they are so fortunate.”
“Thankfully, after 6 years of strenuous waiting and anticipation, Brendan has been gifted the organ he has so long awaited, and my new friend Clotilde will finally have a healthy kidney and a fresh new start to life. I am so grateful to be a part of this swap program involving 14 people and blessing 7 patients with new organs and brighter futures,” he continued.
Off Campus is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It has already been renewed for a second season. Find out how old the characters are in the show versus the actors in real life!
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