
Emily Nowak
Emily Nowak, a resident of Wausau, Wisconsin donated her kidney to a stranger, Lenny Zwieg, in 2018. She saw a post on Facebook from a woman she was friends with that Zwieg needed a kidney, and Emily immediately knew she wanted to help. She underwent extensive testing and learned that she was a match for Lenny. Emily didn’t hesitate to donate her kidney to Lenny, even though they had never met before. The transplant was successful, and Lenny’s health drastically improved. Emily has said that helping a total stranger was on her bucket list. Becoming friends shortly after the procedure, they stayed in touch through the recovery process.