Beloved local chef gets the gift of life through successful kidney transplant

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- For nearly a year, local chef Yono Purnomo was dependent on dialysis to stay alive after being diagnosed with end stage renal failure in April 2023. Last month, the popular restaurateur underwent a successful kidney transplant thanks to the generosity of a live donor.

After getting the clear from his doctors in New York City, Purnomo was able to return home to Albany last week with his wife Donna by his side. When NEWS10 visited him at his home, he was surrounded by well wishes with his wife and son by his side.

"Right now, I'm feeling like a millionaire," said Purnomo. "I'm a brand new man."

Purnomo's plea for a new kidney through social media helped spread awareness to the local community about chronic kidney disease. After a months-long search, a living angel donor emerged this past April.

His wife Donna explained, "Every time I saw the coordinator's number, it was deep breaths. She quickly said, 'I think we have the match!'"

On April 23 at New York's Presbyterian Hospital, Purnomo underwent a six-hour surgery.

"Yono was rolled in and that was the weight of the world off my shoulder, because I knew he could not be in better hands," Donna remembered.

The successful transplant came as a result of a life-saving selfless gift from a donor, who is from the Capital Region and followed Purnomo's journey,

An emotional Purnomo said, "I want to say 'thank you' that you for giving me a second chance with your generosity. You give part of your body in my body, so I really appreciate it. Some day I will meet them."

Donna added, "Forever, forever, indebted. They are low key, quiet thoughtful, humble beyond."

For years, Purnomo has found ways to lift up his community through food, friendship and his goodwill. The Capital District's beloved chef, recognized even in the O.R., on transplant day.

"A fourth-year medical resident went to Clifton Park, went to Albany Med school," Donna explained. "She turns around and goes, 'You're Yono.' She went on to say how many times they had gone to DP."

While his search for a kidney may have come to an end, Purnomo now has to take the time to recover at home. He showed NEWS10 his medication regimen, taking 36 pills a day to ensure his body doesn't reject its new organ.

"I have to treasure this second life," he said.

Both he and Donna told NEWS10 they are dedicating themselves to spreading awareness and helping other patients who are still waiting for a life saving gift.