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🚨 After 40+ Years of Saving Others, Former Wantagh Fire Chief John “JJ” Gillen Needs a Kidney Hero 💔
For more than 40 years, John “JJ” Gillen devoted himself to protecting and serving his community.
He served as a longtime Wantagh volunteer firefighter, rising to positions including chief and commissioner, while also spending decades with the NYPD, eventually retiring as a sergeant and commanding officer of the 110th Precinct.
Now, the man who spent his life answering calls for help is facing an emergency of his own.
💔 John “JJ” Gillen urgently needs a living kidney donor.
And his family is hoping that sharing his story will help find the person who can give him a second chance.
🚨 A HERO WHO NOW NEEDS A HERO
• 🚒 JJ spent more than four decades volunteering with the Wantagh Fire Department.
• 👮 He joined the NYPD in 1982, served in Queens, and rose to sergeant and commanding officer.
• ❤️ He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 44 years and raised two daughters.
• 👨👩👧👦 Today, JJ is also a grandfather to three granddaughters and one grandson.
• 🩺 Following a quadruple bypass last November, his kidney function initially appeared to improve but later deteriorated.
• 📉 Recent family updates put his kidney function at approximately 15%.
• ⏳ His family says dialysis would become necessary if his kidney function falls to around 10%.
• 💚 The family is now urgently searching for a living Type-O kidney donor.
💔 “IT’S HIS TURN FOR SOMEBODY TO HELP HIM”
JJ’s family says helping others has always been part of who he is.
Now, after decades of serving his community, his loved ones are asking the community to stand behind him.
His wife, Karen, has described how difficult it has been to watch someone who is always concerned about everyone else now face such a serious health crisis himself.
🩺 HOW TO EXPLORE LIVING KIDNEY DONATION FOR JJ
If you are a healthy adult and want to learn whether you could become a living kidney donor for John “JJ” Gillen, the family’s public appeal directs potential donors to NYU Langone Health.
🏥 NYU Langone Health — Living Kidney Donor Program
📞 Living Donor Team:
212-263-3621
📧 Email:
NYUTrLivingDonor@NYULangone.org
🌐 Official living-donor information:
NYU Langone — Become a Living Kidney Donor
👉 When contacting the donor team, explain that you are interested in being evaluated as a potential living donor for John “JJ” Gillen.
NYU Langone says potential donors undergo a confidential medical evaluation that can include blood and urine testing, imaging, cardiac assessment, psychosocial evaluation, and consultation with transplant specialists. The program also explains that living donation can include paired kidney exchange when a donor and intended recipient are not directly compatible.
💚 YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A FAMILY MEMBER
NYU Langone notes that healthy people can donate not only to relatives but also to friends, coworkers, or even strangers. Paired donation can provide another option when direct compatibility isn’t possible.
🤝 CAN’T DONATE? YOU CAN STILL HELP
• 📢 Share JJ’s story with friends, family, coworkers, and community groups.
• 💬 Talk about living kidney donation and encourage people to learn from qualified transplant professionals.
• 🔁 Forward this message—the right donor could be someone outside JJ’s immediate circle.
• ❤️ Help the Gillen family reach the person who may be willing to begin a donor evaluation.
📣 PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD
#KidneyForJJ 💚 #JohnGillen #JJGillen #HeroNeedsAHero #LivingDonorNeeded #KidneyTransplant #DonateLife #LivingKidneyDonor #WantaghStrong #LongIslandStrong #OrganDonation #TransplantHope
For more than four decades, JJ Gillen answered the call when other people needed help.
🚒 Now the call is for him.
His family isn’t asking for recognition. They’re asking for one person willing to learn more about living kidney donation.
💚 The hero JJ has been waiting for could be somewhere in the Wantagh community—or beyond.
Please share his story. One conversation could lead to a donor evaluation, and one donor could change a family’s future.
