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Jason Piazza stands with his sister-in-law, Christina, and his brother, Fred, in their parents’ home in Lakewood.
Fred Piazza Jr. and his wife Christina have dealt with the unexpected death of a loved one, an eviction and the result was a feeling of hopelessness.
But at a time when everything seemed to be going wrong for them, a phone call came in that would change their lives - this time for the better.
''On Tuesday, my dad called me and said that he got a call from the hospital in Buffalo and the first thing I though is that something happened with my other brother, because he's a tow truck driver,'' Piazza Jr. said. ''But they were calling to say that they had a kidney for my wife, and I couldn't believe it. It's truly a miracle.''
A ROUGH ROAD
Christina found out she needed a kidney transplant in 2006 and since then, she has endured about three dialysis treatments every week which often left her feeling sick. At that point, her brother-in-law Jason Piazza came through and offered her hope - through one of his kidneys.
Then, in the early morning hours of March 15, Jason and his fiancee, Darby Martin, died in a car accident on Route 60.
''When my brother died, we thought that Christina's only chance at getting a transplant died with him,'' Piazza Jr. said. ''When it rains it pours, and we were ready to give up hope on life in general. But this kidney came through out of nowhere and the donor was the same age and didn't use drugs or alcohol. My little brother must have been upstairs looking out for her.''
Christina had a successful kidney transplant surgery Tuesday evening which took about eight hours. There were a few complications along the way, her husband explained, but the doctors told him that all things considered, it went well and she should begin recovering soon.
Tuesday when the call came, it wasn't long after a call from their landlord telling them they had 72 hours to vacate the Celoron home they have lived in since November 2008.
''I was working a trucking job but it wasn't bringing in enough money and I was always away, leaving my wife to fend for herself,'' Piazza Jr. said. ''We decided it was best for me to quit that job so I did and I've been looking for something else since then but haven't had much luck until lately. Anyhow, we got behind on our rent and they decided to kick us out, but I wish they would have just given us a couple extra days to sort things out.''
It seems that every appointment he has made lately to get things on track has hit a brick wall when something unexpected happens. On March 16, Piazza Jr. had an appointment with the Department of Social Services so they could work out a plan to help sustain the family until he could get back on his feet, and then the accident happened the day before.
On Tuesday, he had a list of apartments for rent in the area and planned on having one nailed down before the sun went down, but then they received word that the kidney was available.
''Our landlords said they were going to throw all of our stuff onto the curb if we didn't get it out but I made the decision to get my wife to the hospital so she could have the surgery we have waited so long for,'' he said. ''Her health means more to me than everything we own and all I could do was hope that they didn't do it.''
A NEW BEGINNING
It turns out that when he returned home from Buffalo on Wednesday for a change of clothes and a shower, their belongings were still inside the apartment and uninterrupted. Piazza Jr. and his father packed some things up and arranged for family members to move everything else out later in the evening.
Shortly after Christina returns home from Buffalo General Hospital, her husband will begin working a new job. He explained that during the process of burying his brother Jason, he learned that Sunset Hills Cemetery was hiring and in his words, they took care of him.
He said he plans on signing a lease for a new apartment in the coming weeks and paying his now previous landlord the money owed to them. He said they are trying to move past everything that has happened, although it will never be forgotten.
''Its been a really upsetting month for the whole family but we've all made it through everything- together,'' he said. ''I feel like things are finally starting to look up and I'm lucky to have such a great family.''