Sims is reminding us of the time he gave his kidney to his dying neighbor.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives member Brian Sims recently revisited the story through a post on his Twitter account. The tweet from May 13 talks about Sims having dinner with his parents and his neighbor. He then shared the sentiment that “families come in all shapes and sizes. Ours is pretty special.”
Sims quickly posted again, both to Twitter and Facebook, about the moment he reconnected with his neighbor.
“Last month I was walking through the city to my office and passed a table and did a double-take,” he wrote. “My recipient Alan and his husband John were sitting having lunch. A perfectly normal, healthy, happy couple sitting in the sun enjoying each other’s company. It was perfection! I stopped and we all held back tears and just tried to enjoy the ‘normalcy of days that are truly a gift.”
Last month I was walking through the city to my office and passed a table and did a double take. My recipient Alan and his husband John were sitting having lunch. A perfectly normal, healthy, happy couple sitting in the sun enjoying each other’s company. It was perfection!
— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 13, 2021
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Brian Sims donating his kidney. The moment happened last May. Later that month, Sims revealed the fact when he challenged the House of Representatives’ poor response to a COVID-19 scare. Sims specifically called out House Speaker Mike Turzai for knowing that GOP lawmakers had tested positive without informing Democrats.
“Members in this room have small children, elderly family members that they care for, spouses with autoimmune diseases, and lives that constantly put us at risk of interacting with others,” he tweeted at the time. “For me, my story wasn’t supposed to be told, but here goes…”
He continued, “In late January I secretly donated a kidney to a person who lives about 10 blocks from me in the City. He was dying of renal failure and I turned out to be a near-perfect match. I spent several days in the hospital and several days with fifth a friend before returning home.
“My recipient began to improve almost immediately and his long-term prognosis is strong, and none of this was ever supposed to be public. People are cynical, especially about politics. And so I decided to share the donation with only my friends, staff, and family,” he added.
These same Members were among those leading the daily shouts to reopen the state. They yelled and screamed about it being safe for others across the state to gather, while they were testing positive and notifying each other, but none of the Democrats that work with them!
— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 27, 2020
Members in this room have small children, elderly family members that they care for, spouses with autoimmune diseases, and lives that constantly put us at risk of inter acting with others. For me, my story wasn’t supposed to be told, but here goes…
— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 27, 2020
My recipient began to improve almost immediately and his long term prognosis is strong, and none of this was ever supposed to be public. People are cynical, especially about politics. And so I decided to share the donation with only my friends, staff, and family.
— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 27, 2020
So here’s what needs to happen next:
1) All positive tests in the Republican Party, and dates of those tests, be immediately made available to Members of the House.
2) The House must direct the Capitol medical staff to immediately refer all Members and staff for testing.— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 27, 2020
3) Republican Leadership must be investigated by the Attorney General to determine which laws and ethics codes have been violated, and
4) House Speaker Mike Turzai and any Members of Republican Leadership that withheld information about positive tests for Covid-19 must resign.— Brian Sims 🌈 (@BrianSimsPA) May 27, 2020
Since then, Brian Sims has been more vocal about supporting organ and tissue donation. In addition, it seems he’s staying connected to his neighbor. And, we love to hear it.
