Episode Details

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 alone.

🌎 Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code LOVELETTERS at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/LOVELETTERS ⛵

Exclusive Coveron discount: : https://coveron.com/LOVELETTERS or use the code
LOVELETTERS at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices