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Love Letters

New Kids on the Block saved my life

48 min

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About this episode

Can boy bands fans save the world? Maybe. They can certainly save each other. In this episode, we meet Theresa Crockett, of California, who needed a kidney and found hope – and a lifeline – through her love of New Kids on the Block. This is a feel-good story about love between strangers (both of whom are “Blockheads”). It’s also about supportive spouses, family members, and a guy named Donnie Wahlberg. Read more about their story here: ⁠https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/15/magazine/new-kids-nkotb-fans-kidney-transplant/ ⁠ This “All Kinds of Love” series is supported by UC Berkeley's ⁠Greater Good Science Center⁠, as part of its "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, supported by the ⁠John Templeton Foundation⁠. And learn more about kidney donation here: ⁠⁠https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/core-kidney⁠⁠ Our “Friends with Benefits” members get an extended cut of this episode – and one extra episode a month! And no ads! Join the group here. We appreciate your support. Also, Love Letters is an advice column; send your anonymous questions about relationships to loveletters@boston.com or through this anonymous form. When you ask a question, you help others feel less

New Kids on the Block saved my life — Love Letters