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KANSAS (KMBC) — A former Kansas radio personality who has already beaten cancer twice is now facing another fight and an unexpected social media connection is helping him search for a kidney donor.
Pastor Steven Mills, a former radio personality in northeast Kansas who now serves as a pastor in Garden City, Kansas, is living with kidney disease and needs a transplant.
“This is what keeps me alive. I’m in complete renal failure,” Mills said while showing the equipment he uses for dialysis.
“This is what I do. This is the bag that I use. I have to heat it up,” he said.
The diagnosis is the latest health setback for Mills, who has previously battled cancer twice.
Through it all, Mills said he wants his family and others to see the role his faith has played in his life.
“To live in such a way that people can see what my faith has done in my life,” Mills said.
Then his story reached Josh Liljenquist, a social media influencer with more than 11 million followers on TikTok.
“My dad actually reached out to me, and he said, ‘You need to go to this small town in Kansas,’” Liljenquist said.
Liljenquist traveled to meet Mills and began using his large social media following to help.
The effort has focused on raising money for Mills’ medical bills while also spreading awareness about organ donation and the search for a living kidney donor.
“We can live with one kidney. He can’t live with no kidneys,” Liljenquist said.
As of Friday, an online fundraiser for Mills had raised more than $55,000.
But one thing was still missing: a donor.
“The goal is to find a living donor,” Mills said.
Mills hopes sharing his experience can also bring attention to others waiting for organ transplants.
“This is a message not just for me. This is for other people,” he said.
For Mills and those supporting him, the search continues.
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