Marc Weiner: CBS producer who used Times Square billboard to find donor gets kidney transplant after 5 years
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A man from New York who used a Times Square billboard in order to find a kidney donor in 2018 is already recovering after the long-awaited transplant surgery. Marc Weiner, 58, a cancer survivor from Great Neck ultimately received the life-changing kidney transplant that had been in the works for years on April 25 after undergoing three days of dialysis per week since October 2016.
There are over 8,200 people waiting for organ transplants in New York State. More than 1,150 people have been on hold for over five years, as per SUNY. The success of organ, eye, and tissue transplantation is extraordinary, and the demand for donors is only increasing. In 2022, an average of 12 new New York State patients were added every day to the national organ transplant waiting list. In New York State, 46% of persons who are 18 or older are registered as organ and tissue donors.
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Who is Marc Weiner?
Marc Weiner is a producer for CBS’ race and culture unit having created, developed, and executed everything from special event and documentary pieces in many genres on multiple platforms to award-winning live worldwide newscasts. In addition to building and sustaining full newsroom budgets, Marc has been in charge of boosting market share, metrics, and revenue through focused brand awareness.
In other positions, Marc has covered some of the largest international stories while writing and field producing for network television as well as reporting for affiliated news markets. His LinkedIn page reads, "A disciplined manager, award-winning journalist, and strategic thinker, Marc's vision is to invest in creating compelling content through people and technology."
'That billboard was clearly, unequivocally, a lifesaver'
Weiner is recovering after a successful kidney transplant procedure more than two years after his image appeared on a big Times Square billboard next to an advertisement for kidney donations. "That billboard," Weiner told New York Post, "that was clearly, unequivocally, a lifesaver."
How did the billboard help him?
A huge billboard depicting the beaming, spectacled TV news boss was built over the Crossroads of the World in the summer of 2018. "My name is Marc. I need a Kidney," The sign read, "YOU can Help!" and included a link to a now-defunct website where he might look for donors. The billboard, which was commissioned by Weiner's wife Lisa's firm, attracted hundreds of candidates, including now-retired NYPD Det Michael Lollo. Lollo had told the NY Post that after reading about Weiner's hunt for a donor, he decided to get tested to see whether he was a match.
'So, that billboard did a lot'
Even though Lollo and another woman turned out not to be Weiner's matches, it was their own donations that enabled them to give Weiner what he called a "golden ticket," one that ultimately gave him the opportunity to receive a kidney through a donor swap program. Lollo agreed to donate his kidney to Ruth Tisak, whom he had never met. "Without their generosity and their proactive nature, forget it, I’d still be waiting," Weiner stated. "So, that billboard did a lot."
Marc Weiner finally gets a match
Weiner claimed he received a call from New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center while on a Zoom call while working from home in March. He received a text message after failing to respond. "I get a text from the transplant coordinator, and she says, 'Important.'" I say, 'Headline?'" She replied, "Match." Weiner's wife immediately made a call to the coordinator. "My wife comes down the stairs full of tears," he recounted. "I’m sitting in the chair in my office. I tilt, and I think I said, 'Oh my god.'" "She comes over, gives me a huge embrace and starts to cry," Weiner went on. "We started to reminisce – how long it’s been and how exciting. This just popped up and it’s gonna happen. Just like that."
Who is the donor?
The kidney swap scheme enables a person to donate their kidney to a stranger in exchange for another person — a recipient of their choice — receiving an organ from another donor. Weiner, who has a daughter with his wife, has never met his donor, a 21-year-old man who has chosen to stay anonymous. He stated that he hopes to meet him one day if the donor is willing. Weiner's donor resides out of state and had surgery on the same day as Weiner but in a different part of the country. His kidney was subsequently flown to a Manhattan hospital and implanted.
Weiner was discharged on Saturday, April 29. He'll still have to take various anti-rejection drugs and follow a tight doctor's visit schedule. However, once fully recovered, he plans to travel with his family and "just enjoy life." "Did I ever have any doubt? No, I really didn’t," he stated. "I just knew that I had to take it one day at a time."
'I want to be healthier'
The CBS producer lost both of his kidneys while battling cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2015. He was cancer-free by 2020, albeit he still needed dialysis three days a week. "Being on dialysis isn't easy, and juggling a full-time job and a family. I want to be healthier, and the way to do that is to find a kidney donor," Weiner said to CBS New York at the time.