There’s a quiet but irrefutable strength about Steve.

A year ago, he finally wrote about his experience donating a kidney to his cousin.

“It’s taken a long time to write about this experience . . . I never felt brave or heroic. I just felt that I was serving my responsibility as a human that pretty much everyone else would do if put in that position . . . I exercised the heart muscle through a simple act of will to say yes. Once I did that, the real heroes took over. The medical system is amazing and those people are the ones deserving the accolades. They dedicate their lives to helping so many others.”

Steve became opiate-dependent during his recovery. When he realized the hurt he was causing those closest to him (his mom), through another incredible act of will he got clean. Today he continues to live an extremely active, genuine and thoughtful life. (Steve donated in 2005, before the words “opioid” and “crisis” were intertwined. Thanks to recent awareness about the dangers of opiates, this would not likely have happened today).