PENNSYLVANIA, USA — It's been a busy few months for former Newswatch 16 reporter Allen Vickers. Last summer, his wife gave birth to their first child, and Allen continues to receive dialysis treatments for kidney failure.
"Doing four hours of treatment, three days a week," Allen said.
Allen Vickers, 33, was a reporter at Newswatch 16 for three years and now lives and works in Philadelphia. Allen was diagnosed with kidney failure in March of 2021 and has been waiting for a transplant. Since then, many of his loved ones, as well as strangers, were tested to see if they were a match. That's where Kody Leibowitz comes in.
"My heart sunk. This is one of my good friends. I was a part of his wedding, someone I talk to almost daily," Kody Leibowitz said.
Kody and Allen have been friends for ten years. They met at a television station in Maryland, where Allen was a photographer and Kody was a reporter.
"He was the first reporter I worked with, and we started chatting about the Sixers. That was in 2014, and now, ten years later, that relationship has blossomed to where he is donating a kidney to me," Allen said.
Kody applied to be a donor in late 2022 and found out a few months later he was a match.
"I texted Allen and said, 'Hey, do you have some time?' I was like, 'Well, we're a match!' Just letting the drama build up a little bit. At that point, it's just we're doing this. It's really going to happen," Kody said.
Since then, the two have gone through numerous tests. Kody's surgery is this Tuesday in Sacramento, California, where he lives. His kidney will be flown to Philadelphia, where Allen's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. Allen says Kody has changed his definition of friendship.
"He didn't have to. He could have just gone about his day and said, 'Vibes, and I'm praying for you.' But he's really going under, going under the knife for me. That's something," Allen said.
Kody says it was an easy decision because he thinks of Allen as family.
"We all love Allen. Our hearts sunk and broke, and we're trying to figure out what does life look like for a loved one, for a close friend, for a former colleague," Kody said.
Allen is documenting the journey on his new podcast, Vital Connections. He plans to thank Kody by taking good care of that kidney and living his life to the fullest.