TUCSON, Ariz. — Shane Gallo is an Ironwood Ridge High School senior who’s in need of a kidney. His family decaled their cars to help in the search for anyone who would be willing to donate a kidney to Shane.
“He’s stable but he’s tired. It’s been a lot for him,” said Vincent Gallo, Shane’s father.
17-year-old Shane is battling end stage renal failure and has had kidney issues since he was a kid.
“When he was born he had two kidneys, but one was systolic, so they removed it. So most of his life he only had one kidney. And then we noticed approximately a year ago, that his kidney was failing,” said Gallo.
Shane has been on the donor list for three months and on dialysis treatments for about a year. His big family has been doing what they can to search for a donor.
“We have eight children. We’ve been doing foster care for over 20 years and we’ve adopted all of our children through foster care. Shane is right in the middle, he’s the youngest of the first four - I call it. And then there’s a second four, after we moved to Arizona, that we adopted,” said Gallo.
The family used to write their plea for help with chalk on the windows, but the chalk kept coming off.
“I decided to make a sign and then we’ve had the sign on approximately two weeks on the one car, and I just did the black car two days ago,” said Gallo.
The family’s received several phone calls since the decals went up. Two people went through the process, but were not matches for Shane. And the other calls have been of folks asking the family what they can do to help.
“Someone noticed that car. Tyler Cirrencione with Money Drip Clothing, like the shirt I’m wearing. He came here and met me and he said can I help you in any way whatsoever, and he’s been like a guardian angel. He’s been posting it everywhere on social media,” said Gallo.
And Vincent says, if you can’t give a kidney, he’s been asking folks to spread the word or donate.
Although Shane’s been through a lot, his family says right now, he is in high spirits.
“He’s very excited. I actually, I was telling him a little while ago when I took him to dialysis that I’m going to meet this reporter and we’re going to do this interview and he was just lit up. He’s like soon I’ll be in the hospital getting my new kidney, getting my life back. And we’re all very hopeful,” said Gallo.
“Please give my brother a kidney, he really needs it,” said Sophia Gallo, Shane’s little sister.
Shane has a blood type of O+, but if you are not a match for him, you can still be a match for another person in need.
If you call the 602 number, it will connect you to a transplant coordinator, so be sure to mention Shane’s name. In the meantime, the family has a fundraiser pages set up on Facebook and GoFundMe.
