Billy Joel Gives Surprise Gift To Kidney Donating DJ

A feel good story involving a morning radio personality who decided to donate one of his kidneys to a childhood friend in desperate need now has drawn the attention and support of Billy Joel.

West Palm Beach radio personality Jason Pennington of the Kevin, Virginia and Jason Show went under the knife this morning for surgery to remove one of his kidneys to help save the life of his longtime friend Jim Romano. Romano’s problems stem from the same kidney disease that took the life of his own father.

For Pennington, the choice was easy. “I know he'd do the same for me."

Romano says that their relationship has always been back and forth and mutually filled with the giving spirit: “We’ve always been there to lift each other up.”

The Morning Mouth reports that Jason’s favorite artist is Billy Joel, and that when the Piano Man heard about the story, he arranged to deliver an autographed copy of his own classic ‘The Stranger’ album to be given to Jason when he wakes up from the surgery, which was expected to last nearly five hours.

Video and text updates regarding the surgery are being posted here as they develop.