Urgent — Living Kidney Donor Needed

One Kidney.
One Life Saved.
One Family Blessed.

Eli is entering the final stages of chronic kidney disease and is actively searching for a living donor. A single act of generosity will bless he and his family immensly and will keep a husband, dad, son, and friend present for every moment that matters.

❤️ Sign Up to Get Tested Learn Eli's Story

Eli, Sarah, and EmmaGrace together on their porch

👨‍👩‍👧

Eli, Sarah & EmmaGrace A family in need of your help

Eli and EmmaGrace playing in the snow, both laughing

Meet Eli

A Man Who Lives Fully — and Needs Your Help

Eli's two main passions are his faith and his family. He loves creativity — whether that may be that in the kitchen, in his work, or in how he approaches life's challenges. Eli loves spending time with his wife and daughter when he's not busy working in IT, designing software or other technology solutions, or doing set design and special effects for community outreach events.

Eli was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease shortly after birth, and what once was a minor background inconvenience in life has grown into an urgent need. His kidney function has declined over the years, leading to this past year where his function has decreased much more significantly. This has led to making everyday tasks increasingly difficult as his fatigue has worsened. The wait for a deceased-donor kidney can stretch years - especially for someone with Eli's blood type. A living donor transplant represents not just more time, but better time: more energy, fewer complications, and a dramatically improved quality of life for Eli and his family.

"I want to feel like myself again. To have the energy to be there for Sarah, for EmmaGrace, for my family, and for all the little things in between."

See How You Can Help →

The People Behind Eli

A Family Full of Love

Behind every name on every waiting list is a whole world of people who love them. Meet Eli's world.

Wife

Sarah

Sarah is the Eli's encouraging anchor. As Eli has struggled with fatigue and decreasing health, Sarah has been the rock for Eli to lean on and the ever-present parent EmmaGrace has needed. Her love isn't always loud; but, it's consistent, tireless, and absolutely unwavering. Sarah's prayers, encouragement, and motivation is what keeps Eli fighting. Her faith in Christ helps keep the family centered and looking ahead to a better future.

Daughter

EmmaGrace

EmmaGrace is six years old, impossibly joyful, ever energetic, and completely convinced that her dad can do anything. She loves dinosaurs, flamingos, sparkly things, crafts... all of the crafts, and every bit of yummy food that her daddy makes. She may not fully understand the seriousness of Eli's illness, but she knows her daddy is always tired and that he needs to get better so they can do all the fun things she dreams up together.

Mom

Eli & His Mom

Eli's mom never stops fighting for her child — no matter how old he gets. His mom has been a fierce, loving presence throughout his life and his journey with kidney disease. Her faith and her love are an irreplaceable gift to this entire family and her willingness to always be present and to help however she can is what helps keep things moving forward.

Why a Living Donor?

One Person Can Change Everything

You don't have to wait for something to happen to you to be a hero for someone else. Living kidney donation is safe, well-established, and gives recipients the best possible outcome — and most donors live completely full, healthy lives with one kidney.

⏱️

Better outcomes than waiting

Living donor kidneys typically last twice as long as kidneys from deceased donors and begin working immediately after transplant.

🏥

Surgery is scheduled, not rushed

Both donor and recipient can prepare fully, choosing the best timing and surgical team for both parties.

💪

Donors live normal, healthy lives

The remaining kidney grows in capacity to compensate. Most donors return to all normal activities within 4–6 weeks.

💙

You don't have to match Eli directly

Even if you aren't a match for Eli, you could participate in a paired exchange program that still saves his life — and another's.

Learn More at UVA Health →

Ready to Help?

Here's How Simple It Is

Getting evaluated as a potential donor costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. Just take the first step — the rest of the team at UVA Health will walk with you from there.

📋

Fill Out the Form

Complete UVA Health's simple online intake form. It takes just a few minutes and is completely confidential.

🩺

Initial Screening

UVA's transplant team will review your submission and follow up with you about basic health criteria and compatibility.

🔬

Medical Evaluation

If you move forward, a thorough medical and psychological evaluation is provided — at no cost to you as the donor.

❤️

Change a Life

Whether you're a direct match for Eli or enter a paired exchange, your gift gives someone — maybe Eli — their life back.

Are You Eli's Match?

Blood type, age, and general health all factor in — but you won't know unless you ask. The evaluation is free, confidential, and comes with zero pressure.

❤️ Start the Donor Application Learn More at UVA Health

From Our Family to Yours

Thank You for Listening

We know this is a lot to ask. After so many years of living with Eli's kidney disease, it was sometimes easy to forgot it was there, and we had a hard time imagining that we would be here, now, sharing our story with people we may have never met. But here we are — and honestly, the love and support we've already received has reminded us over and over how blessed we are and how great our God is.

If you're considering being a donor: thank you. Thank you for letting the idea live in your mind long enough to read this far. We don't take that lightly. Please know that there is zero pressure — we simply want you to have the information. The decision is entirely yours, and whatever you decide, we are grateful you cared enough to look.

And if donation isn't something you can do right now — that's okay too. Sharing this page, keeping Eli in your thoughts and prayers, or simply reaching out with a kind word means more than we can express. We believe Eli's donor is out there. We believe it with our whole hearts. Maybe that's you. Maybe you know who it is. Either way — thank you for being part of this.

E&S

Eli & Sarah

— and EmmaGrace 💙

❤️ Be Eli's Hero — Apply Now

One Kidney. One Life Saved. One Family Blessed.