Water Damage Restoration in Elmhurst, IL

They had not seen each other in more than two decades. The older neighbor stepped up.

David Giuliani, Patch Staff

Posted Thu, May 8, 2025 at 11:49 am CT|

DARIEN, IL – They were neighbors in Elmhurst more than 20 years ago and hadn't seen each other since then. But one of them came through in a big way for the other.

Back then, Michael Torti was a neighbor of the Fill family, including their 2-year-old son, Jacob Fill, according to a news release from Maywood-based Loyola Medicine.

Through a social media post, Torti found out that Fill, now 27, needed a kidney transplant. Torti stepped up.

When Fill was in elementary school, he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. But complications did not occur until much later.

In the fall of 2023, Fill suffered a ruptured cyst, something he was used to with the disease, but this time, the bleeding in his kidney persisted, according to the release.

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It eventually required doctors to remove his kidney. Then they had to remove the other one.

"At that point, I had been in and out of the hospital for months, received multiple surgeries, and had zero kidneys," Fill told Loyola Medicine. "In order to live, I started dialysis treatment and was looking at a 6-plus year wait for a transplant in California. For me, there didn’t seem to be an end in sight."

Torti had stayed in contact over the years with Fill's parents. The social media post moved him.

"When I heard the story, all I could think about was my own daughter, who is Jacob's age," Torti said in the news release. "I couldn't imagine her having to go through something like this. I could only imagine the fear, sorrow and helplessness his parents must have felt."

Given their 34-year age difference, Torti's kidney wasn't a good match for Fill. So Torti took part in a paired exchange. That means he could donate his kidney to someone else on the waitlist, moving Fill up on the list.

A few months later, Fill got a kidney from a younger donor. Torti's kidney saved a different patient in Utah, according to the release.

With the new kidney, Fill underwent several life-saving surgeries.

After the surgeries, Torti traveled to California to visit Fill and his family.

"We always hear about people hoping they're a match for their friend or loved one, but when you think about it, that isn't really the goal," Torti said. "The goal is to get them the best kidney with the best possible match, and to get it in months, not years. Whether it's a paired exchange or one of the various voucher programs, all it takes is the willingness to donate."

Fill is now back at work.

"I felt like many of the parts of my life I cherished were being taken away," Fill said in the news release. "After fully recovering from the transplant, the donation, I feel like I have my full freedom back and I’m eternally so grateful to Mike, the medical professionals, and everyone involved in the pair exchange process."

ELMHURST, IL – A parent says the second grade class sizes at Elmhurst's Edison Elementary School are too large.

At this week's school board meeting, Maureen McPherson, who has twins in second grade at Edison, said one class is 26 students and the other is 27.

"Twenty-seven is too many 7- and 8-year-olds to have in one classroom," said McPherson, an elementary school Spanish teacher in another district. "At the start of the year, many second graders are not even independent readers yet. So they require a great deal of guidance from their teachers."

Making things more difficult, she said, is when classes have students with special education needs and those with English as a second language.

"There is only so much differentiation that a teacher can do with 27 students in the room," said McPherson, who attended Elmhurst public schools.

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Edison's second grade classes are larger than the school's average, which is 21. The averages at the district's seven other elementaries range from 18 to 23, according to the Illinois Report Card.

McPherson said she was disappointed that district administrators last month recommended keeping staff levels the same for next year.

"I'm not OK with the current staffing," she said. "I sincerely hope that if the admin team brings forth a proposal for a third section of third grade next year at Edison that this board approves it."

The school board did not respond to McPherson's comments.

Here is a look at class sizes at Elmhurst's public elementary schools:

Source: Illinois Report Card

The new site is larger, but at least one resident says it's less accessible to walkers and bicyclists.

David Giuliani, Patch Staff

|Updated Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 11:39 am CT

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst Farmers Market, which has been at the northeast corner of York and Vallette streets for years, is moving.

At least one resident is concerned about it.

In June, the market is set to reopen at the parking lot of Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church, 149 W. Brush Hill Road. It is next to Elmhurst Hospital, west of Route 83.

The current parking lot for the market is 60 spaces, which are also used by patrons of York and Vallette businesses, according to the church's request for a temporary event permit from the city.

The church's site has parking for 228 cars and more room for vendors to park at their stalls, something that is not possible for most now, the memo said.

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"When our church was being planned and built, our leaders had a vision of creating a space that would be welcoming to the entire community," Justin Paul Lawrence, the church's executive director, said in a news release. "Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of hosting the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, providing vaccine clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting community blood drives and offering space for various City of Elmhurst meetings. We see hosting the Farmers Market as an exciting new chapter in that same spirit — creating a vibrant and welcoming place where neighbors can gather and support local producers."

Other elements of the market will remain the same, including hours and days of operation and regulations, Lawrence said. It will be on Wednesdays starting June 4 and lasting through Oct. 29, bringing produce, local vendors and food trucks to Elmhurst.

In its memo, the church said the new farmers market site had the support of the York and Vallette Business Association, which had long sponsored the event, and neighbors such as Park Place of Elmhurst retirement community, The Indigo at Elmhurst assisted living facility and the Essex Place Condo Association.

In an email to Patch, Elmhurst resident Katie Duffy opposed the move.

"(The longtime) convenient location allows many residents to walk or bike to the market as it is close to neighborhoods and the Prairie Path," she said. "It is also a fairly centralized location in town."

By contrast, she said, the new site makes walking and biking there prohibitive for residents.

In an interview, Mimi Stanton, who is with the church, said the business association did not want to hold the event any longer, so it was looking for some organization to take it over. That's when the church stepped up, Stanton said.

She also said residents near the new site are "very excited" about the farmers market coming. They include the Park Place retirement community, she said.

In an email to Patch on Thursday, Lawrence, the church's executive director, said the church started speaking with the farmers market organizers more than a decade ago about moving it. He said the event had been run by a few local business owners who were overwhelmed with the growing market and their own businesses.

He acknowledged that while the church was not in a "cute neighborhood" or on the Prairie Path, it would now have more space and visibility on Roosevelt Road. In that spot, it is a boon to vendors and new customers, who would not otherwise see the market in its current location.