Florida man shares the unconventional way he found a kidney donor
Ed Brachman has a new lease on life.
The Delray Beach, Florida, man .
Brachman could be seen in that interview wearing a custom-made black T-shirt with white writing on the front that read, "Please Help Be Find A Kidney Donor." The shirt also listed his phone number.
He said he received lots of calls after the story aired but he didn't find a match.
"The initial interview that we had, that was very inspiring because I had about 30 responses from all over the country," Brachman said.
Brachman and his partner Sandi Soefer didn't stop trying to find a donor.
They posted photos on Facebook, wore the T-shirt to festivals and posed with Santa.
The gimmicks didn't work but Brachman didn't stop.
"I felt I was doing something," he said.
While he was trying everything he could to find a donor, Brachman said his name was also on a list of five different kidney transplant programs.
It's now April 2023 and he said six weeks ago, he got a call from Cleveland Clinic Florida.
"We got the call that a deceased donor was available," Brachman said.
The only problem was he and Soefer were at an outdoor concert and didn't hear the phone ring. Sofer said the clinic started calling people on his contact list.
"Four people tried to get in touch with us," Soefer said. "If they didn't get us, they would have gone to the next person."
Soefer saw the messages when the couple left the concert.
"He got into the car, he was driving, and I started to look at my phone for my messages," Soefer said. "Bingo!
They rushed home, grabbed a bag and headed to Cleveland Clinic for surgery.
On Wednesday, the now-76-year-old is back home and doing fine.
"If I didn't take that call," Brachman said. "If I didn't return the call, I wouldn't be sitting here now."
Soefer said they do not know who the donor is, but they are grateful.
"And so happy that now he has a life," Soefer said. "So, he owes this person whoever he was, thank you."
Brachman hopes his story will bring attention to the donor program. For more information, click .
