After lifetime of service, Wantagh firefighter needs kidney donor

For nearly 50 years, John "JJ" Gillen has dedicated his life to helping others.

Whether responding to fires in Wantagh, investigating crimes as an NYPD officer or mentoring the next generation of volunteer firefighters, Gillen has built a career around service. Now, after decades of answering emergency calls, the 66-year-old is asking the community for something that doesn't come naturally to him: help.

Gillen is searching for a living kidney donor after recently learning that his declining kidney function has progressed to the point where he needs a transplant.

"I don't like to ask for help," Gillen said. "My two daughters have kind of taken the ball and ran with it, and they're doing a great job."

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Seaford, Gillen joined the Wantagh Fire Department in 1978, following in the footsteps of his father, an FDNY captain, and his grandfather, an FDNY lieutenant. As a teenager, he often spent 24-hour shifts at his father's busy South Jamaica firehouse, where his love for the fire service took root.

"I just always liked it," Gillen said. "I grew up around that."

While he originally hoped to join the FDNY, Gillen took the NYPD entrance exam while waiting for a fire department hiring class. He ultimately spent 20 years with the Police Department, serving on patrol in Queens before working in organized crime, the detective bureau and eventually as a sergeant.

Even during his police career, he never stepped away from volunteer firefighting.

After moving back to Wantagh in 1990, Gillen resumed his service with the Wantagh Fire Department, where he rose through the ranks from lieutenant and captain to chief of department in 2000. After six years as chief, he served a decade as fire commissioner before returning to the role he says he enjoys most: firefighter.

Over the years, Gillen has responded to countless house fires, serious car crashes and medical emergencies, including calls at Jones Beach. While dramatic rescues often capture attention, he said the moments that stay with him are often the simplest.

"A simple thing, somebody saying, 'Thank you,' means a lot to guys," he said.

He also remembers helping recover cherished belongings, including family photographs and jewelry, after house fires.

"When we know exactly where the stuff is, we can usually go in and get it," Gillen said. "That's happened a lot."

Kevin Regan, the Wantagh Fire Department's public information officer and a retired police officer who has worked alongside Gillen for more than three decades, described him as a steady leader whose calm demeanor earned the respect of firefighters throughout the department.

"He was always in control of the situation and a good leader," Regan said. "He's given so much of himself over the years to serving others."

Regan said Gillen continues to mentor younger firefighters, sharing lessons that only decades of experience can provide.

"Experience is something that can't always be taught from a textbook," Regan said. "He's always willing to help in any way he can."

About a decade ago, annual physicals through the fire department revealed that Gillen had developed diabetes. Although medication initially kept the disease under control, his kidney function declined steadily before worsening significantly over the past several months.

Roughly three months ago, doctors told him he would need a kidney transplant.

Following extensive testing at NYU Langone, Gillen was approved as a transplant candidate. While he has not yet begun dialysis, doctors have restricted him from active firefighting to avoid placing additional stress on his kidneys. Instead, he now serves in an administrative role.

"My plan is absolutely to get back out there," Gillen said. "Anybody that knows me knows it's very frustrating for me not to be able to do it."

His daughter, Erin Myers (née Gillen), a registered nurse, said the illness has affected the entire family.

"It's heartbreaking because I know that he doesn't want to ask for help," she said. "That's not who he is. That's why we're taking the brunt of that. We're the ones leading the charge for him."

She said the disease has left her father fatigued, juggling numerous doctor's appointments, medications and dietary restrictions. It has also limited his ability to attend sporting events and activities for his four grandchildren, who range in age from 9 to 18.

"He doesn't have the energy like he used to," Myers said.

The family has focused its efforts on finding a living donor rather than raising money. Gillen has been added to the national deceased donor waiting list, but Myers said more than 90,000 people are waiting for a kidney, and the list is based primarily on waiting time rather than medical urgency.

She hopes sharing her father's story not only leads to a donor but also raises awareness about kidney disease, living donation and paired kidney exchanges, which allow incompatible donor-recipient pairs to swap kidneys with other matching pairs.

For Gillen, receiving a transplant would mean returning to the life he loves — traveling with his wife, spending time with his grandchildren and serving the community that has shaped much of his life.

"It'll give me back my regular life," he said. "Especially with the fire department."

If someone does choose to donate, Gillen said he wants them to know just how much the gift would mean.

"It'll be taken care of like the present it is," he said. "It would give me peace of mind and just my way of life back."

Those interested in learning more about becoming a living kidney donor for Gillen or beginning the confidential screening process can visit NYU Langone's living donor registration page. The family emphasized they are not seeking financial donations, only people willing to explore whether they might be able to help through living kidney donation.

After decades spent answering calls for others, his fellow firefighters now hope someone will answer one for him.

"I know first and foremost that JJ would be most appreciative," Regan said. "He's the type of person that, if he could do something similar for someone else, he'd be one of the first ones to step up and do that."