From Dialysis to Diploma: Thomas Thermidor ’26 Celebrates a Hard-Won Graduation

For much of the past two years, Thomas Thermidor ’26 lived in limbo.

There were mornings shaped by dialysis appointments, nights consumed by uncertainty, and moments when the future he had envisioned for himself seemed to disappear altogether.

Graduation, his career, and other long-term plans all became secondary to a much more urgent question: Would he survive long enough to reach them?

Now, after a life-saving kidney transplant and a recovery that tested him physically and emotionally, Thermidor walked across the Commencement stage on May 16, earning his undergraduate degree with Babson College’s Class of 2026.

“It still feels surreal,” Thermidor said. “There were so many moments where I genuinely didn’t know what my life would look like.”

A Future on Hold

After learning his kidneys were failing, Thermidor spent months trying to delay dialysis through an intensely restrictive diet that eliminated foods most people never think twice about.

“The longer you’re on dialysis, the shorter your lifespan becomes,” he said. “We were buying time.”

A surprising number of everyday foods have too much sodium, potassium, or phosphorus. No bananas. No milk. Even ice cream was dangerous.

“There were so many things I took for granted before,” Thermidor said. “I realized how much your entire life changes when your body stops functioning normally.”

But even as his world narrowed medically, Thermidor fought to preserve pieces of his normal college life.

He continued taking classes at Babson, even during the worst stretches of treatment, believing the structure and connection kept him grounded.

“Having classes gave me something else to think about,” he said. “If I had just stopped everything completely, I think mentally it would have been a lot harder.”

‘Intentional Care’

Throughout the ordeal, Thermidor said the support he received from the Babson community transformed what could have been an isolating experience into one defined by compassion and generosity.

The College worked with him to maintain housing while he took a reduced course load. Professors and administrators rallied around him. Mentors checked in constantly. Therapists volunteered their time as his medical bills piled high.

“Babson was so kind during this incredibly hard moment,” Thermidor said. “So many pieces had to go right for me to survive this.”

“Babson was so kind during this incredibly hard moment. So many pieces had to go right for me to survive this.”

Thomas Thermidor ’26

One of the people who made a profound impact was longtime entrepreneurship professor and benefactor Len Green H’25. The two met unexpectedly during Thermidor’s first year, when he helped Green find the newly built Len Green Recreation and Athletics Complex.

“It was like a storybook moment,” Thermidor said, laughing. “Not me helping this guy find the very building he funded. I mean, his name is on the thing.”

Green connected him with another kidney disease survivor, attended events in which Thermidor spoke publicly about his experience, and continued checking in long after the initial diagnosis.

“It wasn’t just financial support,” Thermidor said. “It was intentional care.”

A Community of Care

At home, Thermidor leaned heavily on his girlfriend, Cassidy Collins ’25, whose support became central to his recovery. She adjusted her own routines around his treatment schedule, helped manage appointments and medications, and remained beside him through the uncertainty.

“You really learn who’s willing to stand beside you during the hardest moments,” Thermidor said.

The uncertainty surrounding a kidney donor became one of the most emotionally difficult parts of the process.

Family members explored the possibility of donating, but setbacks continued. One brother was medically disqualified. Another went through extensive testing before ultimately being ruled out as a match.

Then hope arrived unexpectedly through Andrew, a colleague of Thermidor’s brother, who volunteered to donate after hearing about the situation.

Though Andrew’s kidney was not a direct blood-type match, he entered a paired donor exchange program that allowed Thermidor to receive a compatible kidney from another donor while Andrew donated to someone else.

When Thermidor finally received the call that a transplant match had been found, he was stunned.

“I remember thinking, ‘This better be about a kidney,’ ” he said.

In August 2025, he underwent transplant surgery.

From Patient to Advocate

Recovery brought both relief and a new perspective on life. For the first time in months, Thermidor could begin rebuilding routines that illness had interrupted. Small moments suddenly felt enormous: eating favorite foods, walking without exhaustion, imagining a future beyond medical appointments.

One celebratory meal after the transplant especially stood out.

“I got steak, mac and cheese, bread pudding—everything,” he said, laughing. “After being restricted for so long, it felt incredible.”

He returned to campus determined to give back. In March, Thermidor led a workshop during Babson’s First-Gen Conference called “Turning Obstacles into Opportunities,” where he spoke about resilience and building confidence during periods of uncertainty.

Recently, he received Babson’s Excellence in Accessibility & Inclusion Award, an honor recognizing students who help create a more inclusive and supportive campus community. Accepting the award, Thermidor reflected on his journey.

“I’m not the same person I was two years ago,” he said at the award event. “I am resilient, I am a fighter, and I am a man with three kidneys.”

Just days later, Thermidor took another major stage as the student speaker for Babson’s Baccalaureate ceremony. Standing before graduates and faculty inside the Glavin Family Chapel, Thermidor spoke candidly about fear, vulnerability, and the leap of faith that changed his life.

“I was afraid of being seen differently,” he said, recalling his hesitation about publicly sharing his diagnosis. “But instead of judgment, I was met with compassion. Instead of being looked down on, I was lifted up by an entire community.”

Rebuilding his Future

Now, with Commencement behind him and his health steadily improving, Thermidor says the experience has permanently reshaped his understanding of success, community, and purpose.

The Haiti native, who spent much of his time at Babson focused on entrepreneurship and outreach initiatives for underserved students, hopes to continue working in fundraising and advocacy, particularly for young people facing serious medical hardship.

He has even begun imagining a platform designed specifically to support medically vulnerable young adults navigating treatment costs and recovery.

“I think people want to help,” he said. “A lot of the time they just need a meaningful way to connect.”