How One Living Kidney Donor Inspired a Chain Reaction of Life-Saving Transplants

Jim had always been healthy, or so he thought.

“I did have symptoms. I was often tired and nauseous but assumed it was stress or aging,” Jim said. “I had a tough guy mentality, so I didn’t go to the doctor.”

Eventually, Jim started vomiting every day and felt worse by the week. He couldn’t ignore his health any longer. When he finally went to the emergency room at the Cleveland Clinic, doctors rushed him to the ICU.

“I was minutes away from having a stroke,” Jim said. “They discovered I was only born with one kidney. High blood pressure had slowly damaged that single kidney over time. ”

By the time doctors diagnosed Jim, he only had 3% kidney function left. He needed dialysis to survive. 

Learn more about kidney disease treatment options. 

Jim needed dialysis to stay alive. At first, he went to a dialysis center several times a week. But as an entrepreneur running a company, the schedule became difficult to manage.

So Jim trained to do home hemodialysis on his own—something very few people do.

“I was one of the first in Ohio to be certified to do solo home hemodialysis," he said.

Jim set up a dialysis system at home and even traveled with the equipment. On long business trips, he shipped the machine to hotels so he could continue treatments.

Despite his determination, kidney failure took a toll. Jim’s coworkers saw how much he struggled.

“He’d work for a couple of hours, then go sleep on the couch,” Steve said. “Sometimes we’d have to take him to the hospital for blood transfusions. It was hard to watch.”

Take NKF’s quiz to learn if home dialysis is right for you.

As Steve wondered what he could do to help, he learned about his friend Matt’s kidney journey.

“Matt had kidney failure. Someone he knew stepped forward to donate a kidney and saved his life,” Steve said. “That story really stuck with me.”

Curious about the process, Steve asked Matt if he could speak with his donor. 

“I spoke with Matt’s donor and another person who donated a kidney 20 years ago,” Steve said. “I think the biggest concern people have is that something will go wrong. Talking to those guys really put my mind at ease.”

Soon, he started wondering whether he could donate a kidney to Jim.

Learn about living donation from a trained NKF Peer mentor who donated. 

Jim resisted the idea of accepting a kidney from someone he knew. He worried about putting others at risk.

So Steve decided not to tell him—at least at first. Instead, he quietly contacted a transplant center and began the living donor evaluation process.

“My plan was just to see if we were even a match,” Steve said. “If we weren’t, I figured that would be the end of it.”

But the results surprised him. Not only was Steve a good donor candidate—he was a perfect match.

Jim was back in the hospital when Steve shared the news.

“I walked into his hospital room and told him I had a gift planned,” he said. “We were scheduled for surgery on St. Patrick’s Day.”

Jim was stunned.

“I was much more worried about Steve than myself,” Jim said. “I didn’t want something to happen to him.”

But Steve had already made up his mind.

Learn more about transplant surgery and risks. 

The transplant surgery went smoothly.

In fact, Steve recovered so quickly that doctors discharged him from the hospital in about 24 hours, something the transplant team said they rarely saw.

“I walked into Jim’s room the next day in street clothes,” Steve said. “He asked what I was doing, and I told him they were releasing me.”

For Jim, the change was immediate.

“When you get a new kidney, it’s like flipping a switch,” he said. “I forgot what normal breathing felt like. I forgot what having energy felt like.”

After years of dialysis and illness, Jim finally felt healthy again.

Both men were back to work just days later.

Learn more about life after a kidney donation. 

Steve thought his journey ended there. But recently, another opportunity appeared—this time involving someone in his extended family.

Steve’s cousin’s husband, Kevin, had a relative who needed a kidney. Kevin wanted to help, but wasn’t a match.

“That’s when he learned about the kidney paired donation (swap) program, where incompatible donors can give to someone else while their loved one receives a kidney from another donor,” Steve said. 

Kevin decided to move forward.

“Steve’s story really inspired Kevin to donate," Jim said. “This inspired us to come share our story with NKF. Someone else may read it and decide to donate.”

Kevin donated his kidney through the swap program, helping save a stranger’s life while ensuring his relative received a living kidney transplant as well.

“It’s been a trickle-down effect,” Steve said. “One donation inspired another, and that donation may inspire someone else.”

Steve hopes sharing his experience will help ease those fears.

“If it wasn’t for the scar on my stomach, I’d forget it even happened,” he said. “My quality of life is no different.”

Take the next step. Start the process to learn if you qualify to donate.

Since the transplant, Steve and Jim have become active supporters of the National Kidney Foundation. They participate in events like Kidney Walk, fundraising golf outings, and other community programs to raise awareness about kidney disease and living donation.

For them, sharing their story is one way to pay forward the gift of life.

“Tell your story. Don’t hold back,” Jim said. “Stories are powerful. That’s how people learn—and that’s how lives get saved.”

Because sometimes, all it takes is one act of kindness to start a chain reaction that saves lives.

See all the ways you can take action with NKF today.