A Denville woman is taking it upon herself to become a kidney donation advocate for those in need.

After helping her brother-in-law match with a kidney donor in 2018, Donna Tissot decided to use her time to help others.

"I'm retired, and I said, ‘I had such a passion in seeing him get the gift of life that I just wanted to continue,’" Tissot recalls.

Tissot makes customized posters with themes on behalf of each person for whom she advocates, and shares the information online.

"I create a kidney page on social media and then I invite all my followers that I have and then I ask them to share the posters that I create to their family and friends," Tissot explains. "We can save lives together, all it is a touch of a button to share and it goes a long way."

After her brother-in-law, Tissot, who is also a volunteer for the NJ Sharing Network, helped two more people find donors.

She is also currently advocating for six others, including 66-year-old Gerard Ceraso, who Tissot says desperately needs a donor, and Tony Matarazzo, of Franklin Lakes, who says he's very close to finding a match because of her.

"This is like finding someone sent from God to help with the process. It's just amazing," Matarazzo says.

Tissot says at times she can spend almost 12 hours a day on her iPad focused on the work.

"When I put myself into helping them, I put myself in 200%," she says. "It's just so rewarding to see people be able to live their life again. They have a second chance of life."

Tissot adds that getting the chance to live life is a gift that everyone deserves to have.

For those interested, Tissot can be reached at this email: Dtissot@transplantjourney.org