Of all the holiday gifts shared this year, few were as important as the one given by St. Bernard resident Chris Stall. In an act of selflessness, Stall donated a kidney to David Gonzalez, a stranger in need.
As it turned out, the two men were neighbors and a perfect match for this gift of life.
Stall, 40, learned about Gonzalez’s plight through a Facebook post last summer. “I read through it and immediately felt compelled to help,” he recalled. “I started filling out the forms right then and got halfway through and realized, it's 4 a.m. and I might not be thinking right, and stopped and went back to sleep.”
But later that morning, Stall saw the post again on his feed and felt it was a sign. He was moved by the story shared by Gonzalez’s wife, Jennifer.
David Gonzalez, the father of three children and a pastor in St. Bernard, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2020. Through his battle with cancer and its aggressive treatment, Gonzalez had lost all kidney function.
At the time of her post, he was in remission but undergoing dialysis six times each week for 10 hours per session. The couple was desperately in need of a kidney, and Stall felt compelled to help.
“I lost my dad a little less than two years ago to esophageal cancer,” Stall said. “That's what caught my attention at first, but as I continued reading I got to the part that he had three children. I knew from my experience that if anyone could have helped my dad, I would have wanted them to.
"Right then and there, I finished filling out the questionnaire to become a living kidney donor for Dave.”
Throughout the summer, Stall was tested as a possible match. He finally was approved by a hospital transplant board.
Jennifer Gonzalez said she and David first met Stall on a Friday evening in September.
“It wasn't unusual for someone to come over and ask Pastor David to pray, so when Chris came over and asked for prayer, David was happy to pray with him,” she said. “David asked Chris his name and asked how he could pray with him. Chris' reply was ‘My name is Chris and you can pray for our kidney because I am your match!’
"You can imagine the celebration that took place! On that evening, our two families became one.”
Stall said they even named the kidney he would donate, calling it "Destiny." Stall said the most rewarding part was getting to meet the Gonzalez children, knowing he was helping save their dad.
“I felt like the entire donation was for them. They were the reason I felt so compelled to donate.”
During the visit, the Gonzalez family would learn of another surprise — the two families live in the same Meraux subdivision. “Talk about neighbors helping neighbors,” Jennifer Gonzalez said.
By Thanksgiving, all the preparations and prayers were in effect, and on Dec. 1, the two men were taken into surgery.
Jennifer Gonzalez said the scene felt like something from the movies.
“They let David see Chris to pray with him before they rolled them back. They rolled the kidney out of Chris' operating room into David's operating room and performed a kidney transplant. The surgeon said to us that as soon as she connected Chris' kidney to David, it immediately started working. The transplant was a complete success.“
Since then, both men are doing well, and their friendship has deepened. Stall said he is “mentally good, physically great, and spiritually, better than ever. I definitely felt the entire way through that I was being guided to donate.”
David Gonzalez is grateful for the lifesaving gift and said the entire ordeal, while challenging, has also been one of growth.
“It’s made me a better person, a better husband and father. It’s made me a better pastor. It’s made me a better friend. I’ll never, never take for granted the things I went through or the gift that was given to me.”
Stall said he hopes sharing this story can inspire someone else to become a living donor.
“Recovery has been easier than I ever could have imagined and more rewarding than I could have imagined. I'm feeling great. My only regret is that I don't have more kidneys to donate!”
For more information on living organ donation, visit organdonor.gov.