South Brunswick Man Close With Family Of Teen Who Gave Him A Kidney

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — March is National Kidney Month and Samarth Mehta will never forget the day he received a life-saving kidney transplant from a Pennsylvania teenager.

Born in India, Mehta came with his parents to the United States at the age of two. The family settled in the Dayton section of South Brunswick.

However, at the age of 9 he was diagnosed with IGA Nephritis and Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSP), two rare childhood diseases that untreated can cause complete kidney failure and death.

Mehta, now 32, spent nearly three years on dialysis. From the ages of 9 to 13 years old, he underwent three different rounds of chemotherapy, plus high-dose steroids, all with one goal: Keep his kidneys functioning, and keep him alive.

Mehta was also placed on a kidney transplant list. At the age of 13, he received the phone call that would save his life: A teenager in Pennsylvania had just died in a car crash. And his kidney was a match.

Mehta's donor was Ryan Mohn, a popular and well-loved high school student-athlete from Steelton, PA. Mohn tragically died in a car accident at the age of 16. He and his two friends were headed to a local mall when they got into a car accident.

To this day, Mehta keeps in touch with Mohn's family in Pennsylvania.

“My family and I share a very close relationship with the entire Mohn family. The Mohns started a foundation in Ryan’s name, and we have attended many charity events honoring Ryan’s legacy. We even attended Ryan’s younger sister’s wedding, and I have also met many of Ryan’s friends and neighbors. They have all become an extension of my family,” he said.

Mohn was an honor student, a starting pitcher for the baseball team, the basketball team and starting quarterback for the Steelton-Highspire High School football team. He was a member of the History and Literature Club and was nominated for the National Honor Society. Ryan also was the president of the youth group at the Centenary United Methodist Church.

Here is the website and foundation Mohn's family started in his memory: http://www.ryanmohn.com/ Mohn's foundation gives scholarships away and has 5K fundraising walks in his name.

Mehta also recalls that day in February 2004 when he came home from the hospital with his new kidney:

"For the first time, I wasn’t out of breath or tired. I felt like I was weightless, completely unburdened."

Mehta went on to attend South Brunswick High School and graduated from George Washington University. He also founded Aashray Charities Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families with hospitalized children.

Mehta says today:

“I embrace the responsibility that I have to honor Ryan and do justice for what his life meant to so many people. Whether that means helping others, excelling at work, or simply honoring his legacy by living life with honesty and integrity.”

Mehta now encourages people to register as tissue and organ donors. To learn more or register as an organ and tissue donor, visit www.NJSharingNetwork.org.