'Been praying for this.' Derby firefighter seeking kidney donation matches with uncle
"We've been praying for this moment," Matto's wife Katie says. "There's no better donor than somebody in the family, and the fact that he's a 100% match is unheard of."
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Chris Matto has responded to countless calls as a volunteer firefighter in Derby and Ansonia, but nothing compares to the call he received while lying in a hospital bed last week.
"I'm a match for you," Matto's uncle told him over the phone. "I asked them, and they said, you're a 100% match."
News 12 first reported on Matto's kidney donor search last month.
"We've been praying for this moment," Matto's wife Katie says. "There's no better donor than somebody in the family, and the fact that he's a 100% match is unheard of."
"We've been praying for this moment," Matto's wife Katie says. "There's no better donor than somebody in the family, and the fact that he's a 100% match is unheard of."
The community has rallied around the family as it faces significant financial hurdles.
A GoFundMe is collecting donations, and just this past Sunday, 11-year-old Mason Jaffer, of Ansonia, held a lemonade stand fundraiser to benefit the family.
"He's the sweetest little boy ever," Katie Matto says, "always wants to help."
Hilltop Hose Company No. 5 is hosting a car wash fundraiser on June 6 to benefit the family as well.
Matto says if all goes well, her husband could undergo the kidney transplant just six weeks from now.
"It's really amazing," Matto says. "We're completely blessed beyond words."
