02/24/2026
Did you know? Did you know this is the 4th anniversary of me being a living donor?💚 Something so near and dear to my heart.
I do know my recipient? I do, he’s a pretty special man! 💚
Our back story; I was looking to make extra money one summer. I was asked to be a supervisor of a cleaning crew at the Troy Fair. Not exactly a glamourous job, but 3 weeks of hard work, a lot of walking, and long days. The man who was my supervisor (surprisingly was NOT my Dad) but a local business owner who was a large part of Alpron Park for many years. I always knew him from the trucking industry and being a local. He’s one of those people, you JUST know his name.
He watched me the first summer, working with a Motley crew of teenagers. Some had great work ethic, others had to be taught. I was up for the challenge, and if anyone knows me, they know I love manual labor. None of us are above another, and I was there to make extra money, mentor young people with their first “dirty job” (where was Mike Rowe on that one??). Some days it was great, other days not so much. But it was humbling work and I loved it. My supervisor Steve was so helpful. From teaching me the job, to tossing me his keys to his truck and telling me to go grab supplies at a local hardware store, to treating my crew to ice cream or a milkshake. He's a simple man, not a man of many words. But an incredibly kind person with a heart of gold.
My father who was the park manager used to tease me that I was “Steve’s Boss” and I bossed him around. If you know me, you know…. That’s really not the case.
Steve and I bonded. He saw me go through some tough personal battles two summers in a row. Always offering to help, listen, or take any kind of burden off me. I’d respond with a no and ask him for more supplies for my crew at the fair. Haha… Stubbornness is in my Hungarian genetics.
I’d see him on occasion in town. We’d have coffee and catch up about the next year at the fair, family, and life. He’d always ask me questions about being psychic, he was always genuinely curious.
Seven years came and went with my summer 3-week job at the fair. I decided life was just too hectic, I lived 30 minutes away, and taking 3 weeks off from my work just wasn’t an easy task.
When I left I knew my journey there was done. But my friendship with Steve continued. Rarely seeing each other, but on occasion sending a text to say hi.
One morning as I was getting ready for work, I saw someone post a page devoted to finding Steve a Kidney. I was shocked! I felt horrible I was out of the loop and didn’t know?! With out hesitation I followed the links taking me to the Living Donor forms. Not telling a soul, not my husband, Steve, or my kids.
I filled out the application, kept my secret to myself and waited until Monday to send my oldest son (who actually worked for Steve in High school) what I planned to do. I then told my husband and other children. No one was talking me out of it…
The process was long; it took almost 3 weeks before I heard from the Living Donor team. I then took several trips down for incredibly intense testing. I always say it’s the best physical of your life! Was it stressful? It sure was! Nothing like getting test results at 7pm at night and relying on “Dr Google’ to translate the medical jargon. I learned there were 6 people testing to be his living donor. Nothing like a little “friendly competition”, right?
I then found out what tests I needed to follow up with my doctor with to complete the journey. In total it took 6 months. From what I’ve been told it can all go faster, or slower. But I imagine with 6 of us, there was a lot of things to w**d out.
I remember the day I got the call from the hospital. You’d think one would feel like they got the Golden Ticket finding out such incredible information. I remember (keep in mind, I’m a simple girl) telling the Living Donor team, “Oh, cool!”
Then it sunk in. SIX of us! There was 6 of us, and I was the perfect match!!!???
Surgery was easy, recovery was really easy. I got scolded at my 5-day post-surgery checkup. I drove myself there. Doesn’t everyone? Haha… apparently not.
My husband was in recovery with me. Apparently the first thing I said was “how’s Steve?” I don’t remember. I just remember hearing them bringing him into recovery and doing an Ultrasound to see how my (our) kidney was functioning.
Both of us 4 years later are doing great. I have to drink more water than most people do on a daily basis, watch my sodium and alcohol intake.
Would I do this again? I sure would! I’ve always said, when it’s the right thing to do, you just know it. Why'd I do it? Steve is an incredibly kind man. The type of person who is quiet about his kindness. Always silently helping in the community. Never looking for anything in return. How could I not? He was a great friend whom I looked up to, he needed help.
There are several local people looking for a Living Donor. I’m always here to offer advice and guidance to anyone who’s even considering being a Living Donor.
Happy Anniversary Steve.💚
