FL Fire Inspector Donates Kidney to Fellow Firefighter

When Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Capt. Jeff Hewett discovered that he needed a new kidney, Fire Inspector Sharri Dufresne stepped up and donated one of hers.

Source Firehouse.com News

May 11, 2020

Hillsborough County, FL, Fire Rescue Inspector Sharri Dufresne donated her kidney to Jeff Hewett, a captain in her department.

A Florida fire inspector gave a captain in her department a special gift last week: a kidney.

In November 2018, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Capt. Jeff Hewett discovered he needed a kidney transplant, according to a Facebook page dedicated to his surgery. Sharri Dufresne, a fire inspector with the department, offered to donate her kidney, and she was approved as a match in late January.

Originally, surgery was scheduled for March 25, but because it was considered an elective surgery, the hospital rescheduled it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new date was May 6.

"Sharri’s spirit of caring and generosity are beyond measure," a post on the Facebook page dedicated to Hewett's surgery stated. "There are not words to express our appreciation and gratitude for Sharri."

Both surgeries were a success, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Dufresne was released from the hospital Friday, and Hewett was released Sunday.

"We thought Jeff would need a week more, but was doing so well he was discharged today!" the department stated in a social media post. "What a fantastic ending to this story!"