Kidney Donation for Laura Solimene

My name is Hannah Jiang, and I am a Dwight Hall + Yale alum (Ezra Stiles ’12) who lives in New York City. I’m reaching out in the hopes that you might be willing to help me spread the word to the Dwight Hall community about a friend of mine who is currently in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Laura Solimene and I met at my first job in NYC. At a time when I felt so nervous about joining the “real world”, she was a guiding light — teaching me the ways of the office and making my transition into adulthood feel so much less scary. We stayed in touch when I left that job to join the Peace Corps in 2015. With each project I took on in my rural fishing village of St. Lucia, mail from Laura would arrive: boxes of decorations for our school library, a check to help our local smoothie company take off, notes of support and encouragement.

Laura is the type of person who has always shown up for other people, and now, I am hoping that other people will show up for her.

I’ve taken on the role of Laura’s kidney champion to spare her the emotional rollercoaster of searching for a kidney herself. She is blood type O, which means she’s hoping to find a donor who is also blood type O. And given the current state of her health, the sooner the better.

If you would be willing to share Laura’s story with others at Yale, I would appreciate it so much. And if anybody would like to reach me directly, my email address is hannahjiang259@gmail.com and my cell phone number is (512) 948-5044.

Thank you so, so much in advance. The Dwight Hall community always felt like a home to me during my undergrad years, and I am so grateful for the chance to reconnect.

With gratitude and love,

Hannah