'She is our angel': She gave a man a kidney. More than a year later, they finally meet

BOCA RATON — Sometimes the gift of life can be random: Like a guy originally from Brooklyn and a woman originally from South Africa. Two former strangers now physically and forever connected.

The woman, Hayley Ostrofsky, donated her kidney to the man, Jack Levine, back in 2022. It was a surgery that Levine needed badly to survive.

"It takes a very special person to make the decision to donate a healthy organ to someone who is a complete stranger," said Levine, choking on his words, as he met Ostrofsky in person recently for the first time. "But Hayley did this.

"Hayley, you are my hero. You are the ultimate match. You gave me my life back."

The meeting took place at West Boca Medical Center where Ostrofsky works but their story goes back a few years.

It all started with knee replacement surgery

Levine, now 70, had knee replacement surgery in 2017 and soon afterward went into renal failure. His condition progressed to Stage 3, but for a while his kidney stayed relatively stable.

It wasn't until 2020 that it worsened. He found out he needed cervical spine surgery. He was set to get the procedure done at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and while going in for pre-testing, he was told he should prepare for kidney replacement.

"I was told that after the surgery, I better look for a kidney, because I'm not going to make it," said Levine.

Shortly after the surgery, he took a turn for the worse. He got thinner, his skin started flaking and bruising easily, and his creatine levels in his kidney rapidly increased.

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His wife, Regina, along with their two daughters, Jessica and Amanda, started a social media campaign to find a donor for Levine. A few people came forward, but none was a match.

She was inspired to become a kidney donor through a family member

Enter Ostrofsky. She was inspired to become a kidney donor after a family member needed a kidney transplant in 2018, but she wasn't a match. She didn't give up, though, and was set on finding a way to become a donor.

"My family was supportive. My husband was supportive from the beginning. My dad and my kids had a lot of questions about my safety, but once they did the research, they were fine," said Ostrofsky, 56.

In October 2021, she decided to become a kidney donor and reached out to the New York-based nonprofit Renewal, which is how she became Levine's kidney donor.

A cheek swab was done to check tissue typing to find the most compatible recipient.

"They asked me, 'Do you have any specific demographic you want us to donate to?’" she said. "I said, ‘No, whoever it's going to go to, it's meant to go to that person."

Two days after her test, she got that call that she was a match. For the next six months she would do a series of physical and psychological tests — such as blood, MRIs and ultrasounds — to prepare for the surgery.

On Feb. 27, 2022, Levine received the call to change his life: The doctors had found a match.

Levine held off on sharing the good news until two weeks before the surgery, knowing that Ostrofsky could change her mind, but she was set.

The surgery took place on April 26, 2022, at Mount Sinai. It lasted five hours, and while it took place, the two families got to meet, an encounter they said was extremely emotional. The donor and the recipient spoke together a week later over FaceTime.

"There is definitely someone watching, and there is always a reason and there was hope for him," said Regina Levine. "Hayley was our hope, and she is our angel."

Life after surgery: A time of healing and finding a path forward

The recovery process for Ostrofsky took six weeks, and now she says she feels great and has gotten back to work as the clinical supervisor for West Boca Medicals Imaging Center.

Levine is still going through recovery. He does blood work once a month and sees his doctor every six weeks. In the new year, he will switch to doing blood work every three months and work with his doctors on a new plan throughout recovery.

He's been able to get more active and get out with his family. His wife shared photos of recent trips they've taken with their daughters, visiting Seattle and more.

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An emotional meeting in person, finally

Since the surgery, Levine and Ostrofsky had communicated only through text and one Facetime, until recently.

Last month, Ostrofsky, who is the clinical supervisor for West Boca Medical Imaging Center, was told to attend a "health grades award ceremony." But little did she know it was for her: a Tenet Hero award, an award presented by the suburban Boca hospital's parent company that recognizes employees who go "above and beyond their daily responsibilities."

And she definitely did not know that she would meet Levine in person.

The two families and the hospital planned the event.

When Ostrofsky and Levine saw each other, they embraced, and he was finally able to give thanks in person. The emotion was palpable, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

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The two are now bonded for life, literally and figuratively, as they've said.

"What Hayley enabled our family to have is many more years of health and happiness to look forward to," Regina Levine said. "She changed our life, and we now look forward to many happy years of mitzvahs, celebrations and everything together."

Ostrofsky explained why she did what she did.

"I had the privilege and the honor of being in wonderful health, so why not donate?" she said.

"When you have an opportunity to do something good, you’ve got to take it."

Arianna Otero is a Breaking News reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aotero@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ari_v_otero. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Kidney donor, recipient meet at Boca Raton hospital months after surgery