Knights Of Columbus Email Sparks Living Kidney Donation, Triggers Transplant At Trinity Health Grand Rapids

Parishioner Donates Living kidney To Fellow Churchgoer After Lymphoma Ravages Kidneys

USA: April’s National Donate Life Month framed a remarkable act of generosity when Jim Everhart, whose kidneys were severely damaged after treatment for stage 4 lymphoma, received a living donor kidney that likely saved him from dialysis. Tests had shown his kidneys were failing and he faced a multi-year wait for a deceased-donor kidney, prompting urgent search for alternatives.

The donor turned out to be fellow parishioner Ike Iskus of St. Pius in Granville, a man Jim barely knew because they attended different Masses. The connection began when a member of the parish Knights of Columbus circulated a plea for prayers; moved by his faith, Iskus came forward and pursued evaluation to become a living donor.

A year ago the two men underwent kidney transplant surgery at Trinity Health Grand Rapids. Angie Bishop, the living donor nurse coordinator who worked with them, noted that living donation is more common than people assume yet remains a selfless act—donors accept surgical risk without health benefit to themselves to give another person life-changing kidney transplantation.

Now, a year after the operation, Everhart and Iskus have become close friends, sharing meals and card games and crediting faith and community for bringing them together. Their story highlights the lifesaving potential of living kidney donation and underscores the message of Donate Life Month: individual donors and transplant teams can transform urgent medical need into lasting recovery.

Video originally published on 2026-04-17 18:51:19