“Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center is a place where care doesn’t stop, it lasts a lifetime.”
Thirty years ago, Fred Fares, was finishing up college and preparing to start nursing school when a routine requirement changed everything.
“To attend nursing school, I had to get bloodwork and a physical,” Fred said. “That’s when they found my creatinine level was high.”
Until that moment, Fred had been living with symptoms he didn’t fully understand. What followed was a period of uncertainty, until his uncle who is a physician, Lou Fares, MD, recommended that Fred and his parents take the hour and a half trip to meet with Shamkant Mulgaonkar, MD, then Chief of the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, and the transplant team at Saint Barnabas, now Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
“We didn’t really have a plan,” shared Fred, who is now 56 years old. “Then we met Dr. Mulgaonkar and everything changed. He explained the options, the process, and what living donation would look like versus waiting for a deceased donor. For the first time, we felt like someone knew exactly what to do.”
Fred’s mother, Rosalie Fares, agrees. “He made us feel confident,” she said. “He made us feel confident and we put all our trust in God.”
On the drive home from their appointment, Rosalie made what Fred considers the most selfless decision imaginable. Rosalie announced that she would donate one of her kidneys to Fred, becoming his living-donor.
“The minute they said Fred would need to be put on a list my mind was racing,” recalls Rosalie. “But once we got in the car, I said, I’m going to do this. From that moment on, there was never any doubt in my mind, as well as no fear or regret.”
After extensive testing and completing the comprehensive process to become a living donor, the day came where Fred and Rosalie were ready for surgery. Despite the gravity of the day both remember remaining calm. “We’re very strong in our faith,” said Fred. “That morning, we both felt things were going to be okay. We were laughing in our gowns with our I.V.s.”
The transplant was successful. When Fred woke up that night, he recalled seeing his father in the recovery room. “He told me everything went well, and I remember saying I felt good. It felt almost immediate,” shares Fred.
That first night 30 years ago, Fred also met Colleen Dowling, RN, who at the time was a nurse on the dedicated kidney transplant unit, who he describes as an angel. “She was amazing,” Fred shares. “Her care and compassion meant everything to me and my mom.”
Over the days that followed, nurses including Colleen, provided not just medical care, but reassurance, education, and compassion. “They taught me what I needed to do, reassured me, and helped me through every step,” Fred said. “I never felt alone.”
Rosalie emphasized how important nursing support was for her as both a parent and a donor. “You’re trusting people with your child, and with yourself,” she said. “The nurses were incredible.”
Remarkably, those relationships never faded. “Colleen is still part of our lives, and that says everything,” shares Rosalie. “Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center is a place where care doesn’t stop, it lasts a lifetime,” adds Fred.
“Caring for Fred decades later and watching his journey over the years has been truly special,” shares Colleen, now an Advance Practice Provider Lead for the CBMC Transplant Team. “It’s relationships like this that remind me every day how powerful long-term compassionate care can be. Seeing familiar faces and continuing that care over time is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”
Following his recovery, Fred decided to take a different route than the path that led to his diagnosis in the first place. However, he shares, “If I hadn’t originally thought I wanted to go into nursing, who knows when this would have been caught. This transplant completely changed the trajectory of my life.”
For Rosalie, watching her son live fully is the greatest milestone. “My son is alive. That’s everything.”
“When I look back at this moment, I realize how blessed we were to find the right people, at the right hospital, at exactly the right time,” shares Fred. “My journey has been one of faith, family, and miracles, and I will always encourage anyone facing a similar path to trust the incredible transplant team at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.”
Today, Fred’s transplanted kidney remains healthy. “Recently, I received the best possible news from my long-time transplant nephrologist, Dr. Ryan Goldberg, that my kidney is healthy, and I can continue living my life to the fullest,” shares Fred. “I’m so thankful to him, and all the post-transplant nurses and technicians who have cared for me over the years.”
“A successful transplant isn’t just about surgery, it’s about what happens in the decades that follow. Seeing Fred do this well 30 years later is a true measure of why we do this work,” shares Ryan Goldberg, MD, a nephrologist with the Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
“Throughout all of the years, the entire transplant team has taken care of me with the utmost professional skill and compassion, helping me stay strong, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually” shares Fred. “If it weren’t for Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, and the courage of my mother who gave me a second chance at life, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
About The Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center.
The Renal and Pancreas Transplant Division, located in Livingston, NJ, is one of the leading kidney transplant centers in the country. The Transplant Division at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center offers compassionate and comprehensive transplant care for adult and pediatric kidney patients.
The Living Donor Institute at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center offers an increasing number of innovative living donation techniques available at only a few of the world’s leading transplant centers.
With a patient-centered approach, we aim to provide a caring environment with state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment capabilities. Our multidisciplinary transplant team guides patients through the process of deciding on kidney transplant as a treatment option, understanding transplantation, finding a donor, and maintaining a healthy organ after transplant.