Colorado man who received kidney from movie fan now paying it forward

A Colorado man in need of a kidney was saved by a movie fan. Now he's working to help others find donors through cinema.

A few years ago, Ricky Hernandez was living a happy, healthy, active lifestyle. Then seemingly out of the blue, he was diagnosed with kidney disease.

"It was a little hard to believe because I was competing in karate tournaments, and I was healthy. I felt healthy. I didn't feel anything," Hernandez said. "I started slowly seeing the symptoms, so it was hard, really hard to grasp it mentally."

Eventually, he was told he needed a transplant.

"I walked around, and I'd look at things and wonder, is this the last time I'm going to do this? Is this the last time I'm going to see this person? Is this the last time I'm going to talk to my daughter?" Hernandez questioned.

But he found hope at work. Hernandez is the Director of Customer Service at National CineMedia (NCM), an advertising company that produces commercials for movie theaters. Soon Hernandez's search for a donor hit the big screen. He says he received more than 300 applications, and at least one was a match.

"Without the ad's help, I would not be here," Hernandez said. "The ad really put my story out there in front of people I'd never even met. In every state."

NCM ads appear on more than 17,000 movie screens across the nation's three major theater chains.

After Hernandez's successful kidney transplant, he was ready to pay it forward. He reached out to the non-profit organization Kidneys for Communities, founded by Atul Agnihotri. Agnihotri is also a kidney transplant recipient and wanted to create a pathway for living donors to play a role in who receives their kidney.

"We've studied the data quite extensively in how people donate to each other, and we've determined that 96% of individuals donate to someone that they either know or they identify with, which is what we call communities," Agnihotri said. "For example, you could be wearing the same uniform, meaning you could be part of the first responders. You could have gone to the same high school. You could be attending the same church."

Or you could be movie fans. Now Hernandez, Agnihotri and NCM have partnered to get more kidney patients in front of a captive, phone-free audience.

"Cinema advertising has this unique ability to reach millions of people," Agnihotri said.

And he said that they've found that when potential donors answer the movie, even if they're not found to be a match for the patient in the ad, they tend to remain on the list of potential living donors.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, receiving a living donor transplant has several benefits, including the fact that, on average, a kidney from a living donor lasts about 15 to 20 years, compared to seven to 10 years for a kidney from a deceased donor.  

And this summer, Denver will host thousands of donors, recipients and their friends and families for the 2026 Transplant Games. Those interested can register to compete, volunteer, or donate to the cause.