Great News!

Chris received a kidney transplant on 8/20/2025 from a living kidney donor.

Who Am I?

My name is Chris Reardon and I am a happily married man of 33 years with 2 wonderful sons, Thomas (27 years old) and Sean (29 years old). My wife Karen and I met on a blind date and got engaged five months later. We have lived in Hampton, New Jersey for the past 22 years. I am a 1981 graduate of Edison High School in Edison, New Jersey and graduated from Middlesex County Community College in 1983 with an Associate’s Degree. I then attended Kean University in Union, New Jersey and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a focus in marketing.

After graduating from Kean University, I began a career in the automobile industry as a sales consultant for a local car dealership and got promoted to various executive positions over the next few years.  I eventually decided to pursue a new career opportunity with a major Financial and Insurance Company and became a licensed financial planner and life insurance agent. After a few years, I decided to create my own independent Financial Planning and Insurance Business and added an Accounting Business to better serve my clients. My professional career for the past 28 years has been very rewarding in helping my clients plan for their family's education, retirement and  financial security when a loved one passes away.

Several members of my family, including my grandfather, father and uncles have served in various branches of the military. Many of them made careers out of serving our country which I always admired, respected and appreciated. The story of my grandfather’s military experience greatly impacted me for a variety of reasons and has driven me to be extremely passionate about our veteran’s health, well-being and their financial stability. Coming home from World War I, my grandfather suffered physically, emotionally and mentally and was unavailable to support my grandmother, father and his siblings.  My father and all his older brothers joined the military when they were 17 years old and would send money back home to help care for the family. My grandfather, father and uncles all served in the Navy, Air Force and Army during World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. My dad often expressed his love for the military because he got 3 meals a day and proper dental care which was something he never had as a child. All of this impacted me greatly which is why I financially support the Wounded Warrior Project and Tunnel to Towers and am now also pursuing volunteering to help counsel veterans with financial and estate planning.

In my spare time, I enjoy refurbishing and racing classic cars, golfing and visiting historic sites in America. I currently own both a 2019 corvette convertible and 2008 mustang convertible. I am a former member of the National Association of Tax Preparers (NATP) and am an active member of the 200 Club of Hunterdon County that financially supports our First Responders.

The Beginning

I initially learned of my kidney disease during a routine blood test about 6 years ago when my doctor told me that my kidney function was significantly diminished. I had always taken good care of myself and was overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty upon hearing this news. Over the past few years, my kidney function has steadily declined and I was advised about two years ago by my kidney doctor to begin the process of trying to get onto a kidney transplant list. The process required a thorough medical evaluation and various medical tests to determine my medical eligibility.  I was eventually accepted onto the kidney transplant list at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, NJ) in July 2024.

Interview with Karen Reardon and Dr. Louis Stimmel on helping her husband find a living kidney donor

https://omny.fm/shows/the-joe-piscopo-show/the-joe-piscopo-show-6-18-25

Living Donor Testimonials

Paired Exchange Testimonials

Paired Exchange is when an incompatible donor-recipient pair "exchanges or swaps" their kidneys with another incompatible donor-recipient pair resulting in both recipients receiving a compatible living kidney donor transplant. This process increases the potential and probability of the recipient receiving a living kidney donor transplant sooner than later rather than solely depending and waiting upon a kidney transplant from finding their own direct match living kidney donor.   

My Current Situation

My kidney function is currently at a critical level of 13%. Acceptance onto the Kidney Transplant List means waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor to become available with an average waiting list time of 3-7 years or finding a living kidney donor on your own. My Transplant Team strongly advised me that the best option is to find a living kidney donor. My overall health is good but my kidneys are barely functioning and the realization of depending upon dialysis to survive is becoming a real possibility. I often experience swollen legs and feet, recurrent episodes of gout, fatigue. diminished energy and stamina. My family is totally dependent upon me financially so my diminished kidney situation is a heavy emotional and financial burden on me. Dialysis does not cure your kidney failure and it only replaces part of your kidney function. It also causes both short and long-term debilitating side-effects along with physical limitations and restrictions.

Various family members and friends were all evaluated as potential living kidney donors and were found to be medically ineligible as donors which is why I need help in finding a living kidney donor outside of my immediate family and close friends.

Hospital transplant centers DO NOT help patients find living kidney donors and the responsibility solely relies on the individual in need of a kidney transplant to find a living donor on their own.

What Would I Do With The Gift Of Life

If I were to receive The Gift of Life of a new kidney from a Living Donor, it would dramatically improve the longevity and quality of my life and enable me to continue being a loving husband and father. A new kidney would enable me to continue to serve the financial and life insurance needs of the many clients that depend upon me. My deep admiration of my family members that served in the military and the sacrifices they made to protect our freedom has been a great influence on me. I want to pursue becoming more actively involved with veterans by volunteering my time and expertise with financial, insurance and estate planning to various groups such as The Wounded Warrior Project, Tunnel to Towers, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Disabled American Veteran (DAV). I also want to dedicate myself to becoming a Living Kidney Donor Advocate and raise awareness about kidney disease and Living Kidney Donation through various speaking engagements and fundraisers to inspire others to consider giving The Gift of Life. Serving the needs of others is very important to me and I want to become a beacon of inspiration to others on their own personal journey for a Living Kidney Donor. However, the most valuable gift of all would be the gift of seeing my children grow up and excel in their future careers, starting their own families, and growing into the wonderful individuals I know they will become.

Share My Story & Consider Getting Tested As A Donor At No Cost To You... It Can Potentially Save Your Own Life

I appreciate your time in reading my website. Please SHARE MY WEBSITE TO HELP ME FIND A LIVING DONOR with your friends, co-workers, family, colleagues, religious affiliations, organizations, etc. via word-of-mouth, e-mail and social media to spread the word that I need a kidney transplant and to possibly consider getting tested yourself. Through everyone’s effort and kindness to help me, I am hopeful that I will find someone who is willing to give me THE GIFT OF LIFE.

Benefits Of Getting Tested As A Potential Donor

• Health Evaluation & Medical Testing is covered by MY INSURANCE…. NO COST TO YOU.
• Testing evaluates your own health & underlying unknown issues such as Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes & Autoimmune Diseases, etc.
• Getting tested is NOT A COMMITMENT to donate…. You can change your mind any time.
• If you are eligible to donate but not a direct match, you can still be my donor through a Paired Swap Exchange where incompatible donor and recipient pairs are matched with another duo.

Contact / Information

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I am grateful for your support and help.

Chris Reardon

Email address: kpr0108@yahoo.com
Cell number: 908-625-5384

Potential Donor Registration

Click the link below. Indicate you are registering for Chris Reardon. Date of birth (10/24/1963).

Website: SBMCLivingDonor.org

Cooperman Barnabas Med. Center

Transplant Department#: 973-322-5938

Website: rwjbh.org/ldi