Front Royal mother-of-two searches for a kidney donor – for her husband

He’s a young husband – 36 – and father of two young kids who urgently needs someone, a living person, willing to give up a kidney so that he may continue to survive.

That was the shocking message imparted to a distressed Rotary club audience by a similarly emotional wife, launching a public appeal as the long wait for a deceased donor appears to be running low.

Jenna and Brady DeRemer, a Front Royal couple who occupy a home next to her parents, Mark and Kathy Bower, have lived for 10 years in the shadow of Brady’s deteriorating renal function, registering at the Fairfax Inova Hospital on its transplant list, so far to no avail.

Meanwhile, close family members on both sides are found not to have a matching organ and there is no national list of potential LIVE donors available – “So now I am asking my family, friends and community to help us, because if we don’t ask, we won’t receive,” Jenna pleaded, telling her audience that doing what she was doing “was one of the biggest life giving asks that there is.”

Also, she said, it’s “because I love my husband.”

Brady and Jenna DeRemer on their 14th wedding anniversary in August. Courtesy Family Photo

Jenna told of a student, Brady DeRemer, she met at the University of Mary Washington, graduating at the same time, him with a Political Science degree and she with a Bachelor’s in English. Jenna went on to achieve a Master’s in Elementary Education, which brought the couple to Front Royal where she taught kindergartners at Ressie Jeffries Elementary School. Brady parlayed his college success into subcontracting jobs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and most lately with Sony Corp. as a project manager with its international cyber security team in Herndon.

She described Brady as “a very involved father” to Reagan, 7, and Hudson, 4, who she home schools, taking the kids to the park, on bike rides, walks every evening, camping, hiking and swimming, and some indoor stuff including board games and reading.

But about two months ago, some lab work came back showing a “significant” drop in his kidney function, indicating Brady would need a transplant “relatively soon.” Jenna soon began search for a living donor which she ramped up just a week ago, circulating a single page leaflet titled “Searching for a KIDNEY DONOR” which invites readers to “Meet Brady” and stating “Brady now needs a living kidney donor so that he can continue doing the things he loves.”

Providing her telephone number to call or text (540-623-3285) she explains in the pamphlet how the transplant works and who, a living person, can donate. The surgery would take place at Inova Fairfax Hospital with insurance covering most of the cost. Travel and other expenses to a donor would be reimbursed. The donor’s hospital stay would be for only a few days, and most donors are back at work within two weeks.

Jenna says that for her husband’s transplant, the couple is looking for a healthy person under 45 and to call and/or text the above number.