South Jersey man flies to Colorado for emotional meeting with his kidney donor

CHERRY HILL, New Jersey (WPVI) -- It was an emotional reunion for Cherry Hill resident Ed Silberman when he flew to Denver, Colorado, to meet the man who saved his life.

When the pair finally met, they proved they were a perfect match from the start.

It took three and a half years, but on a work trip to Denver this week, Silberman finally met Dave Heal, his kidney donor.

The reunion quickly became both surreal and overwhelming for the New Jersey resident.

"I'm so happy to meet you," Silberman joked, laughing. "I told you I get emotional."

Silberman learned he needed a transplant in 2018 when doctors discovered his kidney functions were slowly deteriorating.

While he waited for a donor, his son-in-law Jeremy Garson turned to X, then Twitter, to spread the word.

With the help of fellow alums at the University of Michigan, they found a match.

"A tweet from Ace M. Bender, who runs a Michigan sports fan website, said, 'I will never underestimate the Michigan community.' And Dave saw it," said Garson.

"I think that tweet promised me I would get a free Michigan-Ohio State ticket," joked Heal. "Once I read what was involved, it didn't seem like much of a stretch."

The kidney transplant happened at the end of 2020, at the height of the pandemic.

"It's very strange to think of one of your organs living inside of another person and it's kind of a miracle to meet the person getting back to living the life they were meant to live," said Heal.

"To be able to donate, the gesture (Dave) did without knowing me," said Silberman, as he got choked up. "I was very fortunate enough to have that happen to me."

The pair said so often we see the negative impacts of social media, but in this case, a call for action and a simple retweet helped save a life.