On September 12, 2019 at the Cleveland Clinic, Jennifer Bromagen had surgery to give one of her kidneys to her friend Jen Woda. The two Jennifers became friends during a decade of singing together with the Cleveland Opera Chorus, but had been living across the country from each other for some time. Jennifer saw a Facebook post Jen made on her 47th birthday stating that she needed a kidney donor and Jennifer immediately applied to get tested. They found out in April of 2019 that Jennifer was a match and they planned their surgery for the fall, after a summer with their kids.
Jennifer and Jen had always planned to sing together after the surgery, but the risks of the pandemic and distance made it challenging. Jen's immunosuppressive drug regimen makes her extra vulnerable in our new Covid world, but they were committed to putting together a concert this year. Jennifer flew out to visit family several times this year, and she would take a covid test, then get together with Jen to plan and rehearse their recital together. Jennifer and Jen recorded a virtual concert to benefit The Transplant House of Cleveland in the fall of 2021, and now they are thrilled to be able to sing together in person this fall to raise awareness about becoming a living donor and to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation
It truly is a unique situation to have a kidney donor and recipient perform opera together. After reading Dr. Jeremy Faust's substack about organ donation, Jen Woda reached out to him with Jennifer and her story. He was so moved he wrote an entire newsletter about it.
Please join Jennifer Bromagen, soprano, Jen Woda, mezzo-soprano and Daniel Overly, piano for their concert "Share Your Spare: A Musical Celebration" on Friday, 9/29 at 7pm at West Shore Unitarian Church in Rocky River or on Saturday, 9/30 at 2pm at Disciples Church in Cleveland Heights. The concert is free, and donations will be accepted to support the National Kidney Foundation. Families with children are welcome and masks are requested for audience members to keep Jen healthy. For more information, please contact Jen Woda at jenwoda@gmail.com.