Nick Mangold’s death draws focus to kidney disease, transplant waiting list

KEY POINTS

Nick Mangold died at 41 from complications related to kidney disease.

He underwent dialysis and sought a kidney donor, unable to find family matches.

Over 90,000 people await kidney transplants in the U.S., with 11 daily deaths reported.

Nick Mangold, who’s often hailed as a “legendary center” for the New York Jets, died Oct. 25 at age 41 from complications of kidney disease.

He had kept his condition private for a long time, but noted in a letter to “My NY Jets community” that he’d been undergoing dialysis and was listed for a kidney transplant. He wrote that he’d been diagnosed with a genetic defect that leads to chronic kidney disease. Of dialysis, he noted, “I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have more time.”

He said no one in his family was able