KAKE News Features Josh Liljenquist’s Kidney-Donor Outreach

JL-097 KAKE News transcript

Transcript note: Lightly cleaned from the user-supplied timestamped transcript. Corrections are limited to clear proper names, outlet names, locations, speaker labels, punctuation, and obvious transcription errors. Spoken wording and meaning are preserved.

00:00 — Introduction

[00:00] KAKE ANCHOR: New at 10 tonight, a Garden City pastor has survived cancer three times, but now he's facing a different fight.

[00:05] KAKE ANCHOR: Steven Mills is in kidney failure and searching for a living donor.

[00:12] KAKE ANCHOR: And tonight, KAKE's Kate Divine shows us how a chance connection with a viral content creator with real influence is giving him something he's held on to through all of it: that hope. Kate, the story is now reaching millions of people.

[00:25] KATE DIVINE, KAKE NEWS: Deb, Chris, that's right. Josh Liljenquist has more than 11 million followers on TikTok, but he never met Pastor Steven Mills. In fact, it was actually Josh's dad who told him there was a pastor in a small Kansas town who needed his help. Within a week, Josh was on a plane. What started as a trip to help a stranger find a kidney has turned into something much bigger.

00:47 — “Love out loud”

[00:47] STEVEN MILLS: You know, it was the best feeling in the world. They pulled up. I was sitting outside. I kind of knew they were coming. I didn't know exactly when they were coming. And it was just—it was love out loud.

[00:57] KATE DIVINE: Love out loud. That's how Garden City pastor Steven Mills describes the moment a stranger from the internet showed up at his store in Garden City.

[01:06] STEVEN MILLS: This is what keeps me alive. You're kidding. I am in complete renal failure.

[01:10] KATE DIVINE: After battling and winning against cancer twice, now Steven's kidneys can no longer keep him alive on their own.

[01:17] STEVEN MILLS: We're sorry, but you are in complete renal failure.

[01:20] KATE DIVINE: This is his life now every day.

[01:25] STEVEN MILLS: So, this is what I do. This is the bag that I use. I have to heat it up. It has to be, um, 96.1 to 98.6 degrees.

[01:34] KATE DIVINE: But listen to Steven talk and you'll hear far more about faith than fear.

[01:38] STEVEN MILLS: But my responsibility as a shepherd and as, you know, one that has been selected, uh, for the work that I do is to live in such a way that people can see, um, what my faith has done in my life.

01:54 — Josh travels to Garden City

[01:54] KATE DIVINE: That faith is part of what caught the attention of Josh Liljenquist.

[01:58] JOSH LILJENQUIST: So my dad actually reached out to me, and he said, “You need to go to this small town in Kansas.” And I said, “Well, what's there?” He said, “I've been in contact with this guy. His name is Steven Mills. He's a pastor. He's a really good man. And you need to go there and, uh, help him find a kidney.”

[02:14] KATE DIVINE: Liljenquist, who has more than 11 million TikTok followers, flew to Kansas and drove three and a half hours from Wichita to Garden City.

[02:23] JOSH LILJENQUIST: There's so many things that he's going through. And despite all that, he's—he's this jolly man who just comes over, gives you a hug, and sends you a beautiful text message every morning, being thankful for life. It's just incredible.

[02:34] KATE DIVINE: He then shared Steven's story and started a fundraiser that has now raised close to $55,000. But money isn't the thing Steven needs most. He needs a kidney.

02:45 — Searching for a living donor

[02:45] STEVEN MILLS: The goal is to find a living donor somewhere that not only matches my blood type, but also, um, has markers that are close to mine as well.

[02:57] KATE DIVINE: And Steven says his medical history makes finding that person more complicated.

[03:00] JOSH LILJENQUIST: You know, that's really the only important thing right now, is just getting him a kidney and getting people to sign up to see if they're a match. You know, we can live with one kidney. You know, he can't live with zero kidneys.

[03:11] KATE DIVINE: But Steven says he still believes the right person is out there.

[03:15] STEVEN MILLS: This is a message not just for me. This is for other people. You know, I have this tag, “Do you see me?” That is my tagline: “Do you see me?” And now I feel seen.

[03:26] KATE DIVINE: Now Steven has Josh, along with millions of others, to help walk with him on this difficult journey.

[03:35] JOSH LILJENQUIST: It's not over, brother. It's not over.

[03:38] STEVEN MILLS: Thank you.

[03:38] JOSH LILJENQUIST: God will never, ever let you take it by yourself. He will always take the walk with you.

03:46 — Living-donor information

[03:46] KATE DIVINE: And Steven says he's very excited about the possibility of finding a living donor. But there is some urgency. He says if a patient goes too long without receiving a kidney, they can eventually be removed from the transplant list. We have information on how to learn more about living-kidney donation and to see if you're a match for Steven, along with the fundraiser helping Steven with his medical and living expenses, on our website at KAKE.com.

[04:10] KATE DIVINE: Kate Divine, KAKE News.