Former Met Ed Kranepool receives new kidney

STONY BROOK, N.Y. (FOX 5 NY) - Ed Kranepool, a former Mets first baseman and a member of 1969 World Series championship team, received a kidney transplant at Stony Brook University Hospital this week.

Kranepool, 74, had been on the donor list for over a year and was close to being placed on dialysis. His new kidney was as part of a donation chain.

A Port Authority police officer who is in good health set off the chain of giving. Officer Brian Cooney's blood type was a match with a Long Island volunteer firefighter who was on dialysis.

The firefighter's wife, Debra Barbieri, wasn't a match for her husband but she was for Kranepool. So Barbieri donated a kidney to the former Met and Cooney donated a kidney to the firefighter.

Barbieri's remaining kidney will grow to compensate for the donation. She is expected to live a healthy life.

Kranepool is expected to remain hospitalized for a few more days before returning home.