A Connecticut man is donating one of his kidneys to save the life of his wife’s ex-husband, but he doesn’t really think of it that way. Rather, Steve Leopard says he is helping his two stepdaughters keep their dad.
Jeff Laviero, 46, an engineer from Bristol, was to undergo the transplant today at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the
Hartford Courant reported.
When Leopard learned that Laviero needed a kidney, he decided to be tested to see whether he might be a match. His wife of one year, Kim, used to be married to Laviero, and they have daughters, Brianna and Katie.
"He's not only her ex-husband, but he is my stepdaughters' father,” the 51-year-old Leopard told the Courant. “I have two daughters from a previous marriage of my own and my two stepdaughters, who are Jeff's daughters.
"I wouldn't want them to lose their dad. That's what prompted me to get tested in the first place. Jeff and I have always got along, but I got tested mainly for the girls."
Laviero said Leopard had nothing to do with his own split from Kim, and he quickly grew to appreciate his ex’s new husband.
"He's been good to our daughters since day one," Laviero told the Courant. "You initially hate that person, but I got through that in the first year and a half, once I knew he was nice and was treating the girls nice."
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