NJ teen in need of kidney transplant raising awareness of organ donation 

NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- A New Jersey boy living with kidney failure is trying to raise awareness of organ donation, hoping someone can be the life-saving match he needs.

“My kidneys are failing, so I have to get at-home dialysis every day,” said 13-year-old Omar Danso of Piscataway.

Last fall, Omar’s mother, Jasmin Eversley-Danso, said he began to vomit - at first sporadically, then more frequently. 

“At first, I thought he had some sort of gastrointestinal issue, so like IBS or Crohn’s or something of that nature,” said Eversley-Danso. 

In December of 2024, her motherly instincts kicked into high gear.

“[Omar] and his sisters went to a trampoline park,” said Eversley-Danso. “He loves those trampoline parks and he did not jump.” 

Eversley-Danso took her son straight to urgent care, where a doctor discovered high blood pressure and too much protein in his urine. Omar went to his pediatrician the next morning, which led him straight to the emergency room. 

“Omar is in kidney failure,” Eversley-Danso recalls the doctors telling her. “Very devastating. Definitely not what we expected to hear."

Doctors discovered Omar was born with a chronic condition that stopped his kidneys from fully maturing. Omar immediately received a blood transfusion and then began daily dialysis. 

“I’m hooked up to a machine for like 12 hours a night,” said Omar.

The kidney issues have subsequently weakened Omar’s heart, preventing him from being active on the organ donor transplant list. He is currently working to strengthen his heart with medication and hopes to be active on the list in a few months. It’s the only option he has. 

“Basically, the treatment options are dialysis until he can get a transplant,” said Eversley-Danso. 

Eversley-Danso is hoping to find a living donor match -- someone healthy enough to donate one of their kidneys to her son. The family is hosting an organ donation awareness event on Saturday to support the cause. 

“You can designate to be an organ donor,” said Eversley-Danso. “It will save lives.” 

Omar Danso’s Day of Fun for Organ Donation Awareness is taking place on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverside Park, located at 430 River Road in Piscataway, New Jersey. The event will feature a 5K walk/run, various health care vendor booths, music, food, and prizes. The rain date is April 27.