This flyer is being shared extensively on local social media networks.
ANSONIA — A local icon who has helped untold thousands in the Valley could now use some help of her own.
Diane Stroman, 71, a lifelong Ansonia resident, a former Alderwoman and the former executive vice-president of TEAM, Inc., has chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.
“It is a very humbling experience, and it really took a lot for me to even talk about my needs and my experience,” Stroman said. “My CKD had stabilized, but then all of a sudden over this past year, it’s gone totally downhill. My doctors are highly recommending I find a living donor. Those are my best chances.”
Married to husband John, and mom of two grown children and four grandchildren, Stroman is on the approved list at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s transplant center. Now, it’s a waiting game to find a match so she can undergo a kidney transplant.
“My kidneys are functioning at 10 percent, if a donor isn’t found, I go on dialysis,” Stroman said.
Potential donors should call Yale New Haven Health at 866 – 925-3897 or fill out the form on this website.
General information on donating can be found here.
Stroman has an extensive record of community service in the lower Naugatuck Valley. In addition to 18 years at TEAM, the Valley’s community action agency, she’s a past president of the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club, and has served on a number of nonprofit boards of directors, including the Valley Boys & Girls Club and Julia Day Nursery. She is a Corporator for Valley United Way, Griffin Hospital, and BHcare, and is also a member of the Ansonia Branch NAACP. She previously served on the Ansonia Board of Education.
Stroman is putting her faith in God, and is relying on prayers and an outpouring of support from her family and friends, to get her through this challenge.
“I have faith that God is going to bring me through it,” Stroman said. “You have to take life as it comes, and just be grateful for the time you have. I’m just thankful for every day I get.”
The Community Reacts
The Valley Indy spoke with some of Stroman’s friends and colleagues, who are pulling and praying for the woman they say has devoted so much of her life to helping others.
“There’s nothing closer to God on earth than Diane Stroman right here in the Valley,” said TEAM Inc. President/CEO David Morgan.
Morgan noted how Stroman — who retired in 2018 as TEAM’s executive vice president after 25 years of service — was instrumental in many of TEAM’s programs, from ‘Men Who Cook’ and ‘Toys for Kids’ to helping seniors get meals delivered right to their door and ensuring those who couldn’t afford their heating bills have warm homes in the winter.
Greg Johnson, president of the Ansonia NAACP, urged people to step up.
“Donating a kidney does not affect a person’s life expectancy, on the contrary, studies show that people who donate a kidney outlive the average population,” Johnson said. “Please do this for an unselfish person who has given to her community tirelessly so she can continue to uplift her Valley community.”
Johnson added that Stroman, as a woman of faith, has the strength and the will to fight.
“Her faith is strong, and I believe God will see her through this,” Johnson said. “Diane is an absolute angel who would give anyone the shirt off her back.”
If anyone knows how strong Stroman’s faith is, it’s Pastor Edward Barnes of the Greater Evangel Temple Church of God in Christ, of which Stroman has been a parishioner of for more than 30 years.
“Diane has been an icon in the community and the state,” Barnes said. “We did a special prayer for Diane this past Sunday with the entire church, and I feel as though she needed to know the church she has served for over 30 years is backing her 100 percent.”
Barnes said he and the parishioners are praying and fasting until noon every day until a donor is found for Stroman. One older woman told Barnes she’d give her kidney tomorrow, but due to her age, doctors would not recommend it.
“I ask that God will supply a kidney for her, and he doesn’t, then he will jumpstart Diane’s kidneys,” Barnes added. “I believe in miracles. God will hear the will of the people.”
Superintendent of Schools Joseph DiBacco knows firsthand how influential Stroman has been to Ansonia’s school children, as she has served as the district’s mentoring program coordinator for years.
“Diane Stroman has been the community matriarch,” DiBacco said. “When it comes to service to others, Diane continues to give her all. Diane has never let health ailments stop her, however, she has finally hit a place where the doctors told her it’s time for her to care for herself and get a kidney transplant. It is my hope that community members will see if they are a successful match. Diane has given so much, now it is our turn to help.”
Mayor David Cassetti has worked with Stroman during her time as an Alderwoman and the head of the city’s elderly services commission.
“Diane is a special person in our community, always giving of herself,” Cassetti said. “I’m sure that in this day and age there will be donors that will be a match for her, and she’ll get what she needs to live a full life.”
Stroman, an Ansonia native, said the outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming.
“People have been very kind, I’ve gotten numerous phone calls, prayers and support and there’s nothing greater than prayer,” Stroman said. “It’s all been very humbling. I can’t fathom in my mind that there may be a time when I can’t give back, I can’t even imagine that. That’s just not me.”
The video below is an interview with TEAM’s David Morgan, who touches upon the support Stroman needs.
