Pediatric Nurse Donates Organ to Two Strangers

Phil Consiglio is part of an exclusive club of people who have donated organs twice to anonymous recipients.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 9:37pm

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A translucent X-ray photograph revealing the ghostly, glowing outline of a human liver against a dark background, symbolizing the gift of life from a living organ donor.A selfless act of medical heroism, a living organ donation that gave a young child a second chance at life.Ann Arbor Today

Phil Consiglio, a pediatric surgical nurse at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, has donated a kidney and part of his liver to two different strangers. Consiglio was inspired to become a living organ donor after the death of a COVID-19 patient he had grown close to. In 2022, he donated a kidney, and in 2024, he donated part of his liver to a 2-year-old patient named Quinnlyn Smith who was in desperate need of a transplant.

Why it matters

Living organ donation is incredibly rare, with only about 0.2% of the U.S. population becoming living donors each year. Consiglio is even more exceptional, as he has donated organs to two different strangers, an occurrence that is estimated to have happened only around 100 times since 1981. His story highlights the profound impact that living donors can have on saving and transforming lives.

The details

Consiglio began his nursing career at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for adults in a COVID intensive care unit. He developed a close bond with one of his patients, who ultimately passed away. This experience inspired Consiglio to become a living organ donor. In January 2022, he donated a kidney to an anonymous recipient. Later, after working on pediatric transplant surgeries, Consiglio decided he wanted to donate part of his liver to a child. In December 2024, he donated a portion of his liver to 2-year-old Quinnlyn Smith, who was suffering from a metabolic condition that was causing toxins to build up in her blood.

  • Consiglio donated a kidney in January 2022.
  • Consiglio donated part of his liver to Quinnlyn Smith in December 2024.

The players

Phil Consiglio

A pediatric surgical nurse at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital who has donated a kidney and part of his liver to two different strangers.

Quinnlyn Smith

A 2-year-old patient at Mott Children's Hospital who received a portion of Consiglio's liver in a life-saving transplant.

Dr. Meredith Barrett

A transplant surgeon at the University of Michigan who has worked with Consiglio and is impressed by his desire to help others.

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What they’re saying

“It was the best decision I've ever made in my entire life. More than a blessing, more than anything I could have ever hoped for in my life.”

— Phil Consiglio, Pediatric Nurse

“It was one of the hardest moments in our life to wait for that liver. It was very difficult to think that somebody else was losing their baby, so that mine could survive.”

— Kelly Smith, Quinnlyn's Mother

“My goal would be to eventually flip the wait list around. So instead of having children waiting on organs, we have donors waiting on kids who need organs.”

— Dr. Meredith Barrett, Transplant Surgeon

What’s next

Consiglio plans to continue donating blood regularly and is also looking into becoming a bone marrow donor. He is hopeful that he can also donate his pancreas, although that is an exceedingly rare procedure.

The takeaway

Consiglio's story highlights the profound impact that living organ donors can have on saving and transforming lives. His selfless actions, donating a kidney and part of his liver to two different strangers, are incredibly rare and demonstrate the power of human compassion and generosity.