When Tom O’Driscoll, a Houston resident and veteran, decided to become a kidney donor in 2010, it was more than a personal health decision; it was a life-changing journey inspired by a radio show and fueled by a desire to help others.

14 years later, O’Driscoll is pushing for legislation that would give back to organ donors like himself.

O’Driscoll’s journey began when he listened to a This American Life episode on NPR, which featured a story about a woman in Brooklyn who secretly donated her kidney to a stranger. That moment, he recalls, “planted the seed” for him.

“I thought, ‘Gosh, I wonder if I could maybe do this someday myself,’” O’Driscoll said.

Years later, he followed through and became a kidney donor. Then, in 2022, he took the process even further by donating 60% of his liver to a different stranger.

“It’s just amazing,” he shared. “Within two months, the liver had regrown to its normal size, and all my bloodwork and everything was back to normal.”

O’Driscoll’s deeds didn’t stop there. Now, he is working with the Coalition to Modify the National Organ Transplant Act to push the End Kidney Deaths Act (H.R. 9275), a bill that would provide a $50,000 refundable tax credit to living organ donors. The credit would be spread over five years, rewarding donors for their contributions to public health.

“This bill could encourage more people to become living organ donors,” said O’Driscoll, who believes it’s essential to create incentives without being exploitative. “If someone is inclined to be an organ donor, this is a means to compensate them for doing something that’s very, very good and publicly helpful.”

O’Driscoll and a group of other advocates recently took their cause to Washington, meeting with around 50 members of Congress.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “I’d never done anything like that before, and it was really neat.”

O’Driscoll’s advocacy is driven by a stark reality: “Right now, there are about 90,000 Americans waiting for a kidney, and about half of them will die waiting,” he said. “About 15 Americans die every day for want of an organ.”

O’Driscoll also shared that deceased organ donations will never be sufficient to meet the growing need.

“A person has to die in a very specific way for their organs to be harvestable,” he explained, highlighting the importance of living donors. “The answer really is encouraging more living donation, and we hope this bill will help.”

Beyond his work with Congress, O’Driscoll has taken on extreme challenges to raise awareness for organ donation. In March 2023, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of about 20 organ donors and supporters, summiting the peak on World Kidney Day.

“It was just a wonderful experience,” O’Driscoll said. “It was the first time I’d done anything with a group of fellow organ donors, and it was terrific.”

He also acknowledges the emotional benefits of being a living donor.

“You just have the quiet satisfaction of knowing that you saved another human life,” he said. “You simply can’t put a value on that.”

As for his hopes for the future, O’Driscoll is focused on seeing the End Kidney Deaths Act become law.

“We really think that it could save lives and alleviate a lot of suffering,” he said. “All the publicity we can get to help promote the bill is very important to us.”

While the bill isn’t retroactive—meaning O’Driscoll and other donors won’t benefit financially—his passion remains strong.

“Our intent is solely to increase the supply of organ donations and thereby alleviate suffering.”

For anyone considering becoming an organ donor, O’Driscoll offers some comforting statistics.

“Living kidney donation in the United States is actually safer than childbirth,” he said. “95 percent of all living kidney donors say they would do it again.”

For O’Driscoll, the message is clear: “You don’t just save one life,” he said. “You save the lives of families, of communities. You make an impact that lasts a lifetime.”

O’Driscoll hopes more people will join the effort to pass H.R. 9275 and support the cause he’s dedicated his life to—one act of generosity at a time.

“We’re just trying to do whatever we can to push this bill through Congress,” he said. “It’s time to make a change.”