Many theater goers have enjoyed performances by AJ Tantala, a cast member with Chester County's SALT Performing Arts. Now, the 23-year-old is hoping that one of those audience members will consider giving him the gift of life by becoming a living kidney donor.

Tantala was born with posterior urethral valve syndrome (PUV). Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) performed surgery to remove the valves, but damage was done to his kidneys.

Tantala has posted his need for a new kidney on the National Kidney Registry (NKR) website, where he describes his situation. "This past summer I was to work an internship before graduation and it was necessary for me to have a blood test done, and that is when we discovered how poor my kidney function was," he stated. "Anything below 20% functioning is transplant ready; currently my function is at 11%."

Getting a new kidney would eliminate the need for Tantala to go on dialysis. "The goal is to find a living donor before I ever need to go on dialysis. That way the second the doctors determine it's time for me, we will go right to the transplant," he said, noting that his parents are unable to donate because they are medically ineligible.

Tantala recently completed his role as Prince Charming in SALT's production of "Cinderella." Directing the show was Downingtown resident Sandy Chadwick. "I look at how vibrant and outgoing he is and how much he gives to those around him and can't imagine him enduring a lifetime of dialysis," she shared. "We want to do all that we can to help AJ find a kidney from a living donor as that will give him the best possible outcome."

Tantala's other roles with SALT include the title role in "Shrek the Musical" and Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." He also appeared in SALT's "Elf the Musical," "Matilda the Musical" and "The Secret Garden."

Although he lives in Bucks County, Tantala said he was willing to make the commute to Chester County to perform. "I discovered SALT my freshman year of college (at Rider University) when I was looking for a show to do," he said. "I saw that SALT was doing 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame,' which is one of my favorite shows ever, and I auditioned on a whim at this theater an hour away from my home. I was cast in that one and many more because I can't bring myself to stop auditioning there."

Tantala is currently directing a production of "The Lion King" with one of SALT's offshoots called Stagelight, which is a performing arts program geared toward children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"A kidney from a living donor would be the ultimate gift to my family and I because it would allow me to continue pursuing my hopes and dreams," Tantala stated.

For more information about the kidney donation process, visit http://www.nkr.org. The link to learn more about Tantala can be found at http://www.facebook.com/neshaminysummerstock in a post dated Oct. 21. Tantala is requesting that people share the link on their social media pages to broaden the scope of the search for a donor.