<div>
 Bernie’s medical team had been searching for the cause of his kidney issues for years. In 2023, they finally diagnosed him.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “I have IgG4, a rare form of IgA Nephropathy that causes my immune system to attack my body,” Bernie said. “They started me on high-dose steroids to fight it.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 The steroids helped Bernie’s kidneys, but they were also difficult on his body.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “In 2024, I had a stroke that affected my speech. I was in the hospital for a week before getting discharged,” he said.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Bernie’s doctor revealed that his kidneys failed, and the kidney transplant waitlist in his area was around 5 to 7 years.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “I was told that I would likely not survive the wait for a transplant,” he said. “Both health-wise and age-wise.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Since the transplant list wasn’t realistic, he and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Sarah, decided to find him a living donor. They treated the search like a full-scale outreach effort, contacting friends, coworkers, music community members, and professional networks.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “We created business cards with a QR linking to donation information,” Bernie said. “It amazed me how many people responded. I went to my employer and asked if I could send a company-wide email sharing my kidney story. That’s how Hope came into my life.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Hundreds of miles away, Hope received the company-wide email.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “I’d been thinking about becoming a living kidney donor for a long time,” she said. “Nearly a decade ago, I moved in with my aunt during a summer internship. She worked in health literacy around dialysis.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 That experience stayed with Hope.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “I learned a lot about dialysis and the impact it can have on a person’s life,” Hope said. “I also learned how donating is generally safe. I’m healthy, and I don’t need both of my kidneys.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 She ended up being a match. The first time the two met was when Hope traveled to Bernie’s home city for the final donor evaluation.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “We had dinner, and it was a really wonderful experience,” Bernie said. “It’s incredible to me that Hope would do this.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 After Hope passed the evaluation, the surgery was scheduled for July 2025.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “A week before it, Sarah and I got married,” Bernie said. “It felt right for this next phase of my life.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 While the transplant was underway, something else special happened.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “Our families met each other in the waiting room,” Bernie said. “My son drove in, my sister came, Hope’s mom and sister were there—everyone connected.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 What started as a medical connection quickly bloomed into a beautiful friendship.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “People think we’re a very unlikely pair,” Hope said. “But I can’t imagine having gone through this with anybody else.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 After the transplant, Hope and Bernie found themselves thinking about how to give back. Hope got involved with the National Kidney Foundation while the transplant sparked a desire in Bernie to help others navigate the challenges he once faced. Both hope that sharing their story encourages others to take action in whatever way they can.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “We all have something we can give,” Bernie said. “It might be donating a kidney, but it could also be donating money, volunteering, participating in a Kidney Walk, or just helping someone in another part of life.”
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 Already, they’ve seen the ripple effect.
</div>
<div>
 <br>
</div>
<div>
 “People have told us they felt inspired after hearing our story,” Hope said. “Some went to donate blood. Others volunteered at food banks. Those are wonderful outcomes too.”
</div>

Heather Allen

Katie Wendel

Susan Valoff

Ann Addis Pantoga

Elliott Bankendorf

Angela York

Eileen Robinett

Anonymous

Evan Goldfarb

Jerry McCabe

Dianne Meeker

Deanna Adams

Troy Spurrier

Scott Goldschmidt

Andy Savitt

Emily Murphy

Deborah Stern

Haley Watson

Myra Callahan

Bernie and Hope: Kidney Hero of the Year Nominees

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Just $106$ to go! Make an impact.

Bernie and Hope: Kidney Hero of the Year Nominees

Just $106 to go!
Make an impact.