Nassau County legislators honor niece's lifesaving gift to her uncle

It is the season to be thankful, two Nassau County legislatures noted Monday, as they honored a Centerport woman for donating a kidney to her uncle, giving the Vietnam War veteran and 9/11 first-responder a new lease on life.

In introducing Julianne "Julie" Jimenez and Anthony Jimenez to her colleagues, Legis. Debra Mulé (D-Freeport) said the niece and her uncle are part of a "very, very special family." Mulé said she has known Julianne’s parents, Phil and Carolyn Jimenez, of Freeport, for years.

"But this is a story of love in the most pure sense possible," Mulé said.

Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), spoke of her long friendship with Anthony Jimenez, director of Veterans Affairs for Glen Cove and a lifelong resident of the city. DeRiggi-Whitton said she watched how kidney disease and dialysis sapped his energy.

"He just didn’t have that spark," she said.

After Jimenez told her he needed a kidney transplant, DeRiggi-Whitton said, "we realized how hard it was to find a match." The difficulty of locating a suitable kidney, she said, led to the formation of a Facebook page about Jimenez’s plight. That prompted his niece to take action.

"The decision to donate a kidney to my Uncle Tony came very easy to me," Julianne Jimenez told legislators. "He was a source of guidance and encouragement for me when I struggled with addiction in my early 20s. And he continues to be a quiet hero."

Now a psychotherapist and social worker, Jimenez said she researched kidney donation. She praised the transplant team at North Shore University Hospital for preparing her for the process, noting the extensive screening done to "rule out anyone that may have future risks." And she championed live organ donation.

She told legislators that after the surgery to remove one of her two kidneys on Nov. 30, 2020, "I had the typical soreness and pain, but got stronger each day and returned to work just two weeks later." Her lifestyle "has been normal, active and full ever since," Jimenez said.

Anthony Jimenez said he had been apprehensive in seeking out a live kidney donor.

"The whole issue of donating is kind of mind-boggling. In New York State, the waiting list for a new kidney is between six and eight years," he said. His doctors told him: " ‘You need a kidney, but we can’t put you on the list because essentially you’re going to be dead before six to nine years.’ … The only thing you can do is find somebody, a living donor, which to me, you know — how can I ask somebody for their kidney?"

But through the encouragement of DeRiggi-Whitton, Jimenez agreed to do a Facebook appeal.

"And who steps forward?" he asked. "Right around the corner, my niece."

Jimenez, 70, said he gave her many opportunities to back out, but she remained steadfast.

The new kidney has proved to be transformative.

"I’m doing fantastic," he said.

Carolyn Jimenez said of her daughter in an interview, "I’m so proud of her," adding, "Our family has a real giving spirit. Tony has done a lot in his life," noting his service and response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Julianne’s father, Phil Jimenez, said his younger brother has been his "hero. He’s always been there. Then he needed help and my daughter stepped up."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie