Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure applauds his wife’s kidney donation

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure applauded his wife on social media Tuesday for her loving act of donating a kidney to her father.

His post on Twitter said Jordan Engard Claure had extended her father’s life with the donation.

A Sprint spokesman confirmed Wednesday morning that the surgery was successful and that Jordan Claure and her father both were recovering well.

The surgery had been performed in Miami at the Jackson Memorial Hospital at the University of Miami and was performed by Gaetano Ciancio.

Marcelo and Jordan Claure moved to Kansas City from Miami Beach, where they still maintain a home, when he became Sprint’s chief executive in August 2014. He had co-founded Brightstar Corp. in Miami, which grew to more than $10 billion in sales.

The National Kidney Foundation reports that there are more than 100,000 people nationwide who are waiting for a kidney. The foundation has promoted live kidney donations with its Big Ask/Big Give campaign that began last year.

Statistically, a kidney from a living donor improves the recipient’s outcome, according to the foundation. Since 2004, there has been a federal fund to help living donors with the expenses from organ donation.

Jordan Claure’s donation drew praises from followers of Marcelo Claure’s Facebook account, where the CEO also had noted her act.

“Wow, she’s a hero,” said one comment on Facebook.

And another offered this praise, “My son recently donated his kidney to my brother. You are truly a selfless person who did an incredible thing.”

The Claures have taken part in Kansas City’s philanthropic community since moving here.

Soon after arriving in Kansas City, Marcelo Claure and several Sprint executives took the ALS Association’s ice bucket challenge at the Overland Park-based company’s headquarters. He challenged others locally to follow suit.

Last spring, the couple were co-hosts with banker Peter deSilva and his wife for the annual fundraising dinner held by the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault. They helped the event raise a record $689,000, the most in 20 years and 144 percent above MOCSA’s goal.

Jordan Claure recently gave birth to their third daughter, Savannah Celeste Claure, at Shawnee Mission Medical Center.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure applauds his wife’s kidney donation."