Before we left, my neighbor and one of my best friends, Matt, slipped a card under my door. He said to make sure I have some fun, and not make this trip all work. He also said to be open to serendipitous moments. Today was a perfect example of that.
About a month ago, my friend Boomer tweeted to me about a comedian donating his kidney to his brother. I read the article, retweeted it, and let the guy know I was also a donor. His name is Alonzo Bodden. I let him know about #kidneychat on Mondays, and that we would love to hear from a recent donor. He said he would check it out. A couple days later, a friend of mine, Lisa, tweeted to me that he had talked about me on his podcast. I don’t listen to podcasts, so I don’t know what’s out there. So I listened, went to his website, and emailed him. I thanked him for mentioning me, and told him we would love to give him a shirt as thanks while we were going to be in LA. After several emails, we decided on breakfast, then filming in a park. Now, I hadn’t planned on asking him to be in the film. After Googling him, I realized he’s a pretty big deal in comedy. I felt like a jerk for not knowing who he is, because I’m a comedian. I’m just not aware of what’s out there, unless I see it live. I don’t even watch TV. Hahahaha! So, we met up this morning and had breakfast, then followed him around the corner to a park. You could tell that we both instantly changed a bit once the camera turned on. Performers…whatareyagonnado? It was a great interview and a lot of fun!

We then headed to Pasadena. I chose the people in this film based on the relationships I have built online. Karol Franks was the first person I connected with on Social Media. Her daughter, Jenna, is in need of a second kidney transplant. She is only 27. She is the only one in the film who needs a kidney. We had a nice lunch with the family and got to know each other. They have a gorgeous house that reminds me a lot of growing up back East. The interviews were pretty emotional for me. I knew they would be, but you really can’t prepare for it ahead of time. You have to live in the moment. People need to see emotion in this film!
It was difficult to hear about what Jenna is and will be going through while waiting for a kidney donation. That’s ok, though, because it needs to be difficult for people to hear about. That’s how it’s going to stay in their minds.

Tomorrow, we head to Salt Lake City!