Marine veteran John Rubino meets child who received partial liver donation
NEW YORK -- A Marine veteran left a Bronx hospital Wednesday morning a week after joining an elite group of double organ donors.
John Rubino met the Montefiore surgeon who removed part of his liver on March 2. It was transplanted into a 7-month-old girl with severe liver failure.
It's the second time he's given a life-changing gift to a stranger. Rubino donated a kidney in 2019.
"It's a very rewarding experience. It's very hard to explain unless you go through it yourself," Rubino told CBS2's Tony Aiello. "Wanting to help other people is definitely a core value that I think plays into where I am today."
"There are people like John that I think are heroes in a way because they kind of are delivering to people that they don't know a lifesaving organ," Montefiore transplant doctor Dr. Milan Kinkhabwala said.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Rubino met the girl who received part of his liver and gave her one more gift -- a Guardian Angel bracelet.
The little girl is still hospitalized but is recovering well.