The longtime Delaware Valley broadcaster has shared a public appeal through the National Kidney Registry.
Glenn Kalina, a familiar voice to generations of Philadelphia-area radio listeners, is asking the community for help as he seeks a living kidney donor.
Kalina has shared his situation publicly through a video message and a donor page hosted by the National Kidney Registry. In the message, he says he is dealing with kidney failure and that his doctors have told him a kidney transplant is now his best option.
“Hello! My name is Glenn Kalina, and I need a kidney transplant,” his donor page says.
Watch Glenn Kalina’s message below.
For Kalina, the issue is personal in more than one way. In his video, he explains that about 11 years ago, he tried to donate a kidney to his niece. During that process, he learned that he had kidney issues of his own.
Since then, he says, he followed the recommended changes, including diet, exercise, medication monitoring, regular appointments, and care from his nephrologist.
“It all helped,” he says in the video. “Until now.”
For many in the Delaware Valley, Kalina’s name belongs to the long memory of Philadelphia radio. His career began at WICK in Scranton in 1970 while he was still in college. He made his Philadelphia debut in 1978 at WZZD, later worked at 610 WIP and WCAU, and remained part of the region’s radio landscape through stations including Q102, WOGL, Alice 104.5, Mix 95.7, SiriusXM, FMQB, and Beasley Classic Hits WJRZ.
He retired from broadcasting in 2021 after a 51-year career.
Kalina and his wife, Stavra, also have ties to South Jersey’s Greek-American community, including St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, where he has participated in community events.
His National Kidney Registry page asks people to consider being tested to see whether they are medically able to donate. It also encourages people to share his story with family, friends, and community groups, since sharing the appeal can help reach someone who may be willing and able to become a donor.
The registry also lists support and protections available to prospective donors, including help with certain expenses, lost wage reimbursement, remote donation options, donor mentors, and other donor protections.
Kalina says he is staying positive and focused on getting healthy again.
“Someone out there may be willing to help,” he says in the video, “or you may know someone who is willing to become a living donor. Even sharing this video can make a big difference.”
Those who want to learn more or begin the confidential screening process can visit Glenn Kalina’s National Kidney Registry page.
For a man whose voice was part of so many daily routines across the Philadelphia region, this is now a different kind of message. It is personal, and it depends on people being willing to pass it along.