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A retired Massachusetts state trooper has spent his life helping others — but now, he’s in need of help as he searches an organ donor following a kidney failure diagnosis. Tom McAnulty lives in Walpole with his wife of over three decades, Kathleen. The two were looking forward to their retired lives, when Tom received life-changing news in 2020. “Out of the clear blue, went in for a regular physical, which I always did,” Tom said. “They found, your creatinine level was elevated which that’s the kidney function, which I never even realized… So I had to go in the hospital. And that’s when we found out.” That was also when Tom and Kathleen’s world was flipped upside down, with their bedroom becoming an at-home dialysis center for Tom. “Because there really is only two choices for treatment — dialysis and a kidney transplant,” Kathleen said. “But you can’t stay on dialysis forever. We’re lucky we have that. And we’re blessed that they have that treatment option because it’s keeping him alive right now.” But Tom is in dire need of a new kidney. With years-long wait times on the deceased donor list, the couple is searching for a living donor, which are known to have better outcomes than deceased donors. “And so once we exhausted all of the family and friends, then we said, ‘We need to do something,'” Kathleen said. “And he was very reluctant to go out there and, put his name out there and his face out there and saying, ‘I need help.’ Because he’s usually that one — that helps… Now he needs help.” They’ve been spreading the word with a micro website through the National Kidney Registry, on social media, with newspapers, fliers, even a billboard last year along 495. No one has been identified as a viable donor for Tom yet. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for the McAnulty couple. “There is nothing else that we can do but try to be positive,” Kathleen said. “It’s a big ask to ask somebody. But there is no other choice.” Tom has a team of doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Stefan Tullius leads the hospital’s transplant surgery division. “What happens to those patients on dialysis is that their health condition deteriorates,” he said. “And what we do with every patient, we encourage them to look for a living donor because we know that the wait time is so terribly long.” Tullius has personally performed around 2,000 kidney transplants, something he calls an amazing privilege. “With persistence and the wonderful gifts that donors provide, one really can move forward and get the kidney that is a life saver and a life changer,” Tullius said. Brigham is affiliated with the National Kidney Registry, which helps to facilitate about half of the kidney transplants done there. The organization supports donors and recipients through a number of programs and helps patients to find a donor. E.J. Tamez is the organization’s patient coaching director “I donated a kidney to my younger brother seven years ago,” Tamez said. “And so we walked that road, and we have the experience on what we need to work on, first of all, for that patient to understand where they are. And how we can help them through their journey to provide him with the tools available through the NKR and the center to help them find that living donor.” According to the National Kidney Foundation, 123,000 are on wait lists for lifesaving organ transplants. Over 101,000 of those people are in need of a kidney — but only 17,000 get a kidney each year. The McAnultys hope that Tom is one of those lucky ones very soon. “You can save a life. Put it that way. Even if it’s not mine. That’s the main thing,” Tom said. “But we do want to save your life and we want to be able to get back to the plans that we had for when he retired,” Kathleen said. “We just want to get back to being us.” Click here to learn more about Tom’s story, and to learn how you can help. More Massachusetts news Massachusetts 2 hours ago Firefighters rescue wheelchair-bound resident from house fire in Easton

The tragic killing of three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, allegedly at the hands of their mother in 2023 started a conversation about the importance – and the struggles many women experience – surrounding postpartum mental health. In an interview with the New Yorker, Patrick Clancy, the father of those children, detailed the symptoms his wife was experiencing that should have been red flags — something mental health experts say can be overlooked. Dr. Michelle DiBlasi, chief of psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center, explained why postpartum depression can often go unnoticed, what symptoms to watch out for and what to do if you or someone you know is experiencing them during an interview with NBC10 Boston Tuesday. “A lot of these women maybe have never had any sort of psychiatric issues before and so now they’re kind of embarrassed or ashamed to reach out,” DiBlasi said. “And the other thing is providers may also be missing the diagnosis.” Patrick Clancy found his wife Lindsay Clancy semi-conscious from a suicide attempt and his three children strangled in the basement in January of 2023. Their children — 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan — did not survive. Patrick has since sold his Duxbury home and moved to Manhattan. One in seven women will experience postpartum depression, according to DiBlasi, but Lindsay was diagnosed with anxiety. She was hearing voices, had trouble sleeping and thoughts of suicide, according to The New Yorker. She tried to get help, taking more than a dozen medications over the course of four months. “Going periods of time without sleep can, you know, exacerbate psychotic episodes, can worsen depression,” DiBlasi said. “My number one thing for most of my patients is to make sure that they’re getting a good restorative night’s sleep.” When Patrick asked Lindsay if she planned it, she told him in the snap of a finger, a voice commanded her to kill the children, then herself, because it was her last chance, according to the magazine. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support. “I think when people start hearing voices, or what we call auditory hallucinations, that is very concerning,” DiBlasi said. “I mean, usually it’s one indicator of somebody experiencing a psychotic episode of some kind.” Despite her suicidal thoughts, Patrick said, “we were told by doctors, ‘If she doesn’t have a plan, and if she’s disturbed by the thoughts, then they are probably just thoughts.’” Patrick told the magazine, “if I could go back in time, I’d have called McLean (hospital) and said, ‘take her away, lock the door. Keep her in there for a year if you have to.’” Lindsay remains at Tewksbury Hospital until Nov. 10 for court-ordered mental health treatment. Depending on her condition, her stay could be extended. Her lawyer did not respond to NBC10 Boston’s requests for comment. “The key is for people to reach out for help and for their family members or friends,” DiBlasi said. “If they’re noticing something that just isn’t quite right, to encourage them to reach out for help.” More on Lindsay Clancy Duxbury 21 hours ago Patrick Clancy speaks about 3 slain kids, wife in new interview Duxbury Apr 15 Patrick Clancy runs marathon for 3 slain kids: ‘With Cora, Dawson, and Callan in spirit' Duxbury Jan 25 1 year later, Duxbury community gathers to mourn 3 slain children

Firefighters rescued a wheelchair-bound resident from a house fire in Easton, Massachusetts, early Tuesday morning. The Easton Fire Department said they responded to a reported house fire on Columbus Avenue at 3:36 a.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, firefighters found heavy fire in a basement apartment that was spreading quickly to the first and second floors of the three-family home, which contains three apartment units. Firefighters also had to rescue a wheelchair-bound resident who was living on the first floor and couldn’t get out. All other residents of the building had already evacuated before the fire department arrived. Firefighters got the blaze under control within about an hour, the fire department said, and remained on scene until about 7:30 a.m. A cat and a dog died as a result of the fire, and another dog is being treated at a local animal hospital. Twelve residents were displaced due to the fire and will stay with family members, the fire department said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Easton Fire Department, the Massachusetts State Police Fire and the Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. More Massachusetts stories Massachusetts 3 hours ago ‘Not one of our typical calls for service': Great white shark washes up on Cape Cod beach

Editor’s note: Some readers might find the images included in this story disturbing. A large great white shark washed up on a Cape Cod beach this week. And the photos are wild. Orleans police shared three photos of the shark on Facebook on Tuesday, showing the dead shark on the back of a flatbed truck. “Not one of our typical calls for service,” the department said. “Not is it one for our local duty tow, Nauset Recovery. But, as always, we answered the call.” Orleans police said the shark, which appeared quite large, was found washed up on the beach, and they called the local tow agency to help them haul it away. “You really never know what kind of call you’ll respond to on any given shift,” they added. “At least Sgt Elliott only needed to follow the tow truck and didn’t have to wrestle an unruly Great White.” No details were released by police about exactly where the shark was found or its potential cause of death. You can see close-ups of the photos from Orleans police below: More shark stories World News Oct 9 Michigan woman eaten by shark on vacation in Indonesia Massachusetts Oct 2 Mass. beach to remain closed to swimming through October due to shark activity

A person was taken to the hospital after an attack during an apparent home invasion in Somerville, Massachusetts, Tuesday morning. Somerville police said they were first called to the home on Canal Lane for a breaking and entering around 9:21 a.m. When they arrived they discovered a man had made it into the home and attacked a person inside with a weapon. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A suspect, identified as Somerville resident Rydoechy Saturne, was arrested nearby. He was charged with home invasion and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon. Police believe the suspect and victim know each other. No other details were immediately available. More local news Duxbury 21 hours ago Patrick Clancy speaks about 3 slain kids, wife in new interview