Who Am I?

My name is Jeanette Amato. I live with my 29 year old son Vinnie. This past year has not been kind to us. My mother Barbara passed away from a heart condition in October 2024 and my husband Peter passed away from stomach cancer in January 2025. It was too much, too fast, very stressful and just extremely sad and difficult for both of us. Fortunately, I have the love and support of my son Vinnie, my older sister Lynn and other friends and family. I am grateful for their unconditional love, support and encouragement.

I am originally from Hudson County in New Jersey.  I graduated high school in 1992. I had a successful career in sales and collections from 1996-2021.  While I was working, I also graduated from the Academy of Massage Therapy (Englewood, NJ) as a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) in 2000.  In May 2021, I began a new full-time career opportunity as a Medical Assistant & Patient Coordinator working for an Orthopedic Surgeon in Bloomfield, New Jersey.  I still maintain my CMT and work part-time with my established clients and referrals.

In my spare time, I enjoy bowling, baking and making homemade chocolates, reading and watching football, I am a NY Giants football fan and really enjoy going to the games. I am also an avid dog lover.  I have the most adorable fur baby you will ever meet.  My chubby Puggle is named Jax.  He is also a New York Giants fan.

The Beginning

I initially learned of my kidney disease during a routine blood test in August 2025 when my doctor told me that my kidney function was significantly diminished to a very low and dangerous level of 15%. I was overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty upon hearing this news. I was strongly encouraged to pursue the process of trying to get onto a Kidney Transplant List which required a thorough medical evaluation and various medical tests to determine my medical eligibility.  I was eventually accepted onto the Kidney Transplant List at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, NJ) in October 2025.

My Current Situation

My kidney function is currently at a critical level of 15%. Acceptance onto the Kidney Transplant List means waiting for a kidney from a deceased donor to become available with an average waiting list time of 3-7 years or finding a living kidney donor on your own. My Transplant Team strongly advised me that the healthier and better option is to find a living kidney donor. My overall health is good but my kidneys are barely functioning and the realization of depending upon dialysis to survive is becoming a real possibility. As a result of my diminished kidney function, I often experience fatigue. diminished energy and stamina. Dialysis does not cure your kidney failure and only partially replaces part of your kidney function to filter your blood and remove waste products and toxins. It also causes both short and long-term debilitating side-effects along with physical limitations and restrictions.

As a single parent, my main concern is caring for my son Vinnie.  He has lost his grandmother, his father and is heartbroken that his mother is now sick with kidney failure. All of this has occurred within one crazy year.  I fear that my deteriorating kidney function will greatly impact both my professional career and activities of daily living due to physical limitations and restrictions.   My son and I care for and depend upon each other. He is not married and I worry and fear what might happen to him in the event of my rapid deterioration and possible sudden death due to kidney failure. Vinnie is my world and I want to be around to see him get married and have children. He has lost too much already and I could not bare the thought of him having to go through any more loss and sadness.

I am determined to fight the fight in searching for a living kidney donor for so many reasons.  I have the faith and belief that “My Angel Is Out There” and I will be blessed with a kidney from a living donor.

Various family members and friends were all evaluated as potential living kidney donors and were found to be medically ineligible as donors which is why I need help in finding a living kidney donor outside of my immediate family and close friends.

Hospital transplant centers DO NOT help patients find living kidney donors and the responsibility solely relies on the individual in need of a kidney transplant to find a living donor on their own.

What Would I Do With The Gift Of Life

If I were to receive The Gift of Life of a new kidney from a Living Donor, it would dramatically improve the longevity and quality of my life and enable me to continue being a loving mother to my son and loving sibling to my older sister Lynn. Throughout my life, I have been dedicated and committed to caring for those that need love, compassion and understanding. Caring for both my husband and mother over the past several years while they were battling through their health challenges gave me a deeper appreciation and understanding of how precious life really is and how we need to be more loving and caring to those that need kindness and support in times of despair and in everyday life. I have learned not to take anything for granted and to live life to its fullest every day.

My aspirations and goals should I be blessed by the kindness and compassion of another human being in giving me The Gift of Life would be to honor that person in such as way by serving the needs of others and becoming more involved in my community and with various charitable organizations such as the American Heart Association and The American Cancer Society.  I have always loved holding and caring for new babies and want to become a volunteer in a neonatal unit for newborns.  I also want to become active in caring for the elderly that need daily services like companionship, housekeeping, baking, cooking, food shopping and transportation needs. I am also very passionate about dogs and want to become active in volunteering at several dog shelters and rescue facilities.  Finally…. I want to be a Living Kidney Donor Advocate and raise awareness about kidney disease and Living Kidney Donation through various speaking engagements and fundraisers to inspire others to consider giving The Gift of Life.

Share My Story & Consider Getting Tested As A Donor At No Cost To You... It Can Potentially Save Your Own Life

I appreciate your time in reading my website. Please SHARE MY WEBSITE TO HELP ME FIND A LIVING DONOR with your friends, co-workers, family, colleagues, religious affiliations, organizations, etc. via word-of-mouth, e-mail and social media to spread the word that I need a kidney transplant and possibly consider getting tested yourself. Through everyone’s effort and kindness to help me, I am hopeful that someone will give me THE GIFT OF LIFE.

Direct Match Living Donor Testimonials

Paired Exchange Testimonials

Paired Exchange is when an incompatible donor-recipient pair "exchanges or swaps" their kidneys with another incompatible donor-recipient pair resulting in both recipients receiving a compatible living kidney donor transplant. This process increases the recipient's probability of receiving a living kidney donor transplant sooner rather than depending upon finding their own direct match living kidney donor.

Benefits Of Getting Tested As A Potential Donor

• Health Evaluation & Medical Testing is covered by MY INSURANCE…. NO COST TO YOU.
• Testing evaluates your own health & underlying unknown issues such as Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes & Autoimmune Diseases, etc.
• Getting tested is NOT A COMMITMENT to donate…. You can change your mind any time.
• If you are eligible to donate but not a direct match, you can still be my donor through the Paired Exchange Program where incompatible donor and recipient pairs are matched with another duo.

Contact / Information

Feel free to contact me with any questions.  I am grateful for your support and help.

Jeanette Amato

Email address: jtamato5874@gmail.com

Potential Donor Registration

Click the link below. Indicate you are registering for Jeanette Amato.

Website: SBMCLivingDonor.org

Cooperman Barnabas Med. Center

Transplant Department#: 973-322-5938

Website: rwjbh.org/ldi