Loyal diner donates kidney to Long Island restaurant manager, saves his life

A loyal customer at La Bussola in Glen Cove turned a familiar restaurant relationship into a life-saving act, donating her kidney to manager David Geliashvili after he was told he needed a transplant.

The donor, Susanne Deegan, 55, of Sea Cliff, had spent years crossing paths with Geliashvili at the Italian restaurant before he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in December 2024. When he told her he needed a kidney, she answered, “I’ll get tested.” Testing began in September, she was approved as a match in February, and the surgery took place last month.

Geliashvili, who said the donation saved his life, is now back on his feet. He described Deegan as an “angel,” while Deegan said she would do it again “in a heartbeat.” Their story underscored how the everyday loyalty that keeps neighborhood restaurants alive can grow into something far beyond a regular’s tab or a friendly greeting at the counter.

The transplant path was guided by Northwell Health’s Living Donor Ambassador Program, which helps patients search for a living donor with ongoing, personalized navigation. Northwell says patients who work with the program are 2.8 times more likely to have a living donor register. The hospital also says living-donor kidneys can offer better outcomes and spare recipients years on a waitlist.

The numbers show why the match stood out. About 20% of kidney transplants involve a living donor, and about a quarter of those living-donor transplants come from unrelated donors. That made Deegan’s decision especially unusual: she was not family, just a longtime patron who decided to act after hearing Geliashvili’s need.

Elliot Grodstein, a Northwell transplant surgeon, said the minimally invasive procedure typically means about two nights in the hospital. Geliashvili and Deegan were reunited at North Shore University Hospital, a moment that put faces to a process usually hidden behind medical consultations and waitlists.

The timing also falls during Donate Life Month, when Northwell is marking the occasion with its first gala honoring donors and recipients. For restaurant workers, where relationships are often measured in turnover and tips, the story offers a different kind of bond: one regular customer, one manager, and one kidney that kept a life going.