Shoreham mother of four dies while awaiting second kidney transplant

Help is quickly coming in for the family of a young Shoreham mother of four who died Saturday following a long battle with kidney failure.

Kristen Merz, 37, had been on the waiting list for a second kidney transplant. She received her first transplant at 18, a procedure that allowed her to build a life — marrying her husband, Anthony, and raising their four children — but the organ had reached the end of its typical 18-year lifespan.

A GoFundMe campaign created immediately following her death by a relative of her husband has raised nearly $14,000.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Kristen Merz, who courageously battled kidney failure,” wrote the fundraiser organizer, Nicholas Corleto. “She was called home much too soon, leaving behind her loving partner, Anthony Corleto, and their four beautiful children, ages 14, 13, 6, and 4.”

Swamped with medical bills, the family had been struggling financially even before Merz’s death. Furthermore, her two youngest children have disabilities that require specialized care.

“Now, with mounting medical expenses, funeral and memorial service costs, and daily living expenses, the burden has become overwhelming,” Nicholas Corleto wrote, asking the community for help as the family navigates “their darkest hours.”

A strong, devoted mother

The fundraiser says donations will go toward medical bills, end-of-life care costs, funeral arrangements, ongoing support for the children and essentials to help stabilize the household.

Merz had been the focus of a public search for a living donor for more than a year. Friends and relatives maintained a Facebook page, “Need Kidney Donor for Kristen,” where they regularly appealed to potential donors.

“Kristen Merz is a 35-year-old mother of four and had a kidney transplant in 2007 when she was only 18 years old due to a rare autoimmune disease that destroyed her kidneys,” a July 2024 post read. “Her transplant is going into its 18th year and is nearing the end of its life expectancy. Her function currently is at 14%.”

Loved ones urged anyone willing to be tested to reach out to the family or the transplant center at NYU.

Merz died surrounded by her family, according to her obituary. She is remembered as a vibrant, compassionate woman whose warmth, humor and creativity shaped daily life at home.

A devoted wife and mother, she was the “heart of her home,” finding joy in raising her four children and sharing her love of books with them, her family said in her obituary.

Merz was known for her quiet resilience and resourcefulness — a “MacGyver”-like problem solver whose corny jokes and laughter were constants, even during difficult times. Her family wrote that she had a gift for finding beauty in small moments and meeting her challenges with steady strength.

Merz is survived by her husband and their children — Liam, 14; Adelaide, 13; Lucius, 5 and Anneliese, 4 — as well as her parents, Bill and Maureen Merz, and her brother, Billy Merz. Additionally, she leaves behind her beloved pet cats.

A wake is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Alexander Rothwell Funeral Home in Wading River. A funeral Mass will follow on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at St. John the Baptist Church, also in Wading River.

_{Top: (left) Kristen Merz, 37, of Shoreham (Facebook) and (right) Merz’s four children with Santa Claus (Facebook).}