Father's Day Holds Special Significance For Long Island Family After Kidney Transplant
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Like many holidays being celebrated as the pandemic nears an end, this Father's Day may be that much more special, too.
That's certainly the case for a father and son who share a unique bond.
As unconventional as tossing a baseball in a restaurant might be, it's really just another day at the office for Anthony Luisi and his son Nick.
Nick is the proud owner of Roslyn Social, a Long Island restaurant he bought only months before COVID hit. He had to work fast to save his business.
"We had to change the concept. I knew as an owner that we had to make a pivot," he said.
But there was another, more serious, issue at hand. He got the news from his mother.
"Your father needs a kidney," Nick said.
Without hesitation, Nick knew he had to take action.
"I always knew that I had one mission, whether the restaurant survived or it didn't, and that was to make sure my dad was OK," he said.
All of Anthony's children got tested to be donors without him knowing.
Nick was a match. It was an emotional moment when his dad found out.
"What can I say? I was very thankful, very thankful," Anthony said.
They went in for surgery last September.
"As a parent, I would certainly give anything for my children. But to take something from one of your children is a little bit of a different dynamic," Anthony said. "Even talking about it now, I still get emotional."
Now, this father and son pair work together at Roslyn Social.
"I come by a couple days a week, and I just stay up here. And it's working out OK. I think I get under his skin every once in a while," Anthony said.
"A little bit," Nick said.
"A little bit, well," Anthony said.
"I'm under your skin, technically," Nick said.
"Well, you're the-- yeah, that's true," Anthony said.
Joking aside, this is a father grateful for this gift of life from his own child.
"I feel privileged. I feel honored. I'm humbled, but it's certainly a very special Father's Day for me this year," Anthony said.
And a son able to draw on his own life lessons to help out his dad.
"My dad, he gave me life. So if I give it back to him in any sort of way, that's a plus," said Nick.
Giving more to ensure a happy and healthy Father's Day.
For more information about organ donations and transplants, click here and here.
