The Power of Someone to Save a Life

Michele Hagel didn’t always know that she had the power to save a life. But a Facebook post and a prayer changed that. Scrolling through her feed, she learned her fellow Medtronic employee, Mark Bubalo, had kidney failure. Grueling dialysis treatments kept him alive. He needed a kidney transplant. If a living donor stepped forward…

Read More

The Gift of Living Kidney Donation: Paying it Forward

I’m honored to work with Andrea Deanovic Schmidt on the National Kidney Foundation Board, Serving Minnesota. Andrea is a fellow kidney transplant recipient, thanks to her heroic brother, Pete Deanovic. He didn’t hesitate to save his sister with his living kidney donation. Pete’s benevolence restored Andrea’s health, and she feels grateful every day. But there’s…

Read More

A Lucky Man

Photo by KS KYUNG on Unsplash

I love interviewing extraordinary people. And Jeff Piotraschke definitely fits the bill. As part of my work with the National Kidney Foundation, I learned how Jeff’s kind heart led him to donate his kidney to his sister, Kathy. Selfless and family-focused, Jeff’s intention to improve Kathy’s health became the catalyst for his own self-improvement. And…

Read More