Michigan Youth Leader To Donate Kidney To Save 20-Year-Old

WALKER, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - A youth leader in Michigan will donate his kidney to save a man he met through a youth ministry service program.

Twenty-year-old Steven Tatreau will receive a kidney from Nate Clark in January, according to a report in The Grand Rapids Press.

Tatreau was diagnosed with Alport syndrome in 2016. The Alport Syndrome Foundation says the disease affects less than 200,000 people in the U.S. It can cause hearing loss, vision loss and kidney failure.

The nature of the disease meant Tatreau's parents couldn't donate their kidneys. Instead the family had to look to friends or other family members for a potential match.

"I wasn't prepared to give up," Tatreau's mother, Carrie, told the newspaper. "And despite the fact it was really hard to ask people, it was the only way to save his life."

Clark met Tatreau through Young Life Capernaum, a program meant for young people with special needs. Clark took multiple tests and eventually found out that he was a donor match.

"I'm excited and ready and can't imagine a world without Steven," said Clark. "I'm excited for him to live a regular life."