Montclair teacher saves friend with gift of a kidney

Montclair Times | North Jersey.com | George Wirt

Len Basile never imagined he would ever be in a situation where he could save a person's life, but when the opportunity presented itself recently, he didn't hesitate for a second.

"The decision was made in a millisecond," the 56-year-old Montclair High School biology teacher said. "I just knew I was going to do it."

What Basile did was to step up and donate one of his kidneys to a good friend and fishing buddy who didn't have long to live unless he could find a transplant.

"I belong to the Hudson River Fishing Association, and my buddy Big Mike is a member of the club," Basile told The Times this past Monday after returning to his ninth-grade classroom following a three-week long medical leave.

"We've known each other for about seven or eight years," Basile said. "We're a close-knit group of people who fish together. Mike has had diabetes forever. About a year ago, in November, he told us he was in need of a transplant."
Read more: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/135226633_The_gift_that_changed_two_lives.html