The lives of two Long Islanders are now linked after a woman donated an organ to a man she had never met.

Scott Scannell, 61, of Nesconset, was given a chance to lead a more normal life because Ann Marie Hassett, 56, of Coram, donated her kidney to him.

Hugs and tears were shared when the two met for the first time at a news conference Thursday at Stony Brook University Hospital, where the transplant took place.

Scannell was diagnosed 10 years ago with polycystic kidney disease, a condition in which clusters of cysts grew in his kidneys, severely limiting their function.

During his three-year wait on the transplant list, in May 2024, Scannell needed dialysis, a process in which a machine cleansed his blood of toxins, three days a week, four hours a day for almost a year.

During the news conference, Scannell and his wife, Karen, described how he was in "a dark place" during his dialysis treatment, taking a toll on both his physical and mental well-being.

"I still went to work every day, I tried to play some golf, tried to live a normal life, but it gets to you," said Scannell, who owns a construction company.

Vacations, which are supposed to be relaxing, became difficult, they said, because they would have to find a facility for his dialysis.

"We were in Montauk last summer. We had to drive into the Hamptons for three days ... to get dialysis and then come back," his wife said.

Because Scannell's children were medically disqualified from donating a kidney, the family turned to Facebook to look for organ donors, along with distributing flyers.

A woman who saw the flyer suggested that the couple try News 12. This led to a segment that aired on Dec. 24, 2024, and was later viewed by Hassett online.

Hassett, a teacher and volunteer firefighter, said during the news conference that she had been considering being a donor for a few years when she came across Scannell's story in an email. She described how she felt touched by the news segment, and was able to find things that she had in common with them.

"I get to go away whenever I want and don't have to worry about driving hours to go have dialysis," she said.

Hassett decided to go through the process of determining whether she would match but waited to tell her family, who she knew would be concerned.

"I prayed on it, and I said, ‘Please let [my husband] be understanding.’ And he was, and then he started coming to the visits with me, so he [could] be able to express his own concerns," she said.

The successful donor and recipient surgeries, led by Dr. Frank Darras and Dr. Adam Kressel, took place in April at Stony Brook University Hospital, which has an over 95% success rate with kidney transplants.

While the surgery was more difficult than she thought, Hassett said that "after three weeks I was fine, and I’m up to walking 6 miles and I am lifting weights."

In a statement through the hospital, Scannell said he now had more energy after transitioning from dialysis, and was able to plan for trips and enjoy activities like fly fishing.

"She saved my life and my family's — made us whole again," Scannell said in the statement. "She's a miracle worker, an angel. Thanks to her, I got my life back."

In October, the two families will participate in the second annual Give Life NY 5K Run/Walk in East Meadow to raise awareness for organ donation.