Michael needs a kidney and you can help!
Michael is a 44 year old husband and father from southeast Wisconsin that needs a kidney due to polycystic kidney disease.
How can you help?
Sign Up to Donate a Kidney
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
If you're interested in donating a kidney to Michael, please click on the button to fill out a form for Froedtert Hospital Kidney Transplant.
First of all, we want to thank you for considering organ donation. We know it is a huge sacrifice and we are beyond grateful that you are choosing to look into it.
You do NOT have to be a match for Mi
If you're interested in donating a kidney to Michael, please click on the button to fill out a form for Froedtert Hospital Kidney Transplant.
First of all, we want to thank you for considering organ donation. We know it is a huge sacrifice and we are beyond grateful that you are choosing to look into it.
You do NOT have to be a match for Michael to be able to donate and help him. If you're not a match, you can still donate in a paired match program. You would donate to someone else that you do match and then Michael would receive a kidney from someone else who does match him.
If you have questions about kidney donation, please look on the Froedtert website. You can also contact them to learn more by calling (414) 805-0310.
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
We are working on this section and will update with fundraisers to help pay for the mounting medical bills that Michael and his family are facing.
Currently, we are fundraising through Help Hope Live. They are a charity so all donations are tax deductible and must be used for medical expenses. Please consider checking out our fundraiser p
We are working on this section and will update with fundraisers to help pay for the mounting medical bills that Michael and his family are facing.
Currently, we are fundraising through Help Hope Live. They are a charity so all donations are tax deductible and must be used for medical expenses. Please consider checking out our fundraiser page on their site.
More fundraisers are coming soon. Thank you everyone for your support!
Share Michael's Story
Donate to Fundraisers to Support Michael
Share Michael's Story
We understand that many people are not able to donate. If you can't donate but would like to help us, please post on social media or tell a friend about Michael and his need for a kidney. We are grateful for any amount of support that we are given during this difficult time.
About Michael
Hello! My name is Michael Otten and I am 44 years old. I have been married to my wife, Sarah, for 18 years and we live in Kewaskum, WI with our four children – Kierra (17), Ali (16), Angie (14), and Liam (9). We have a 5 year old corgi, Cora, who is a beloved member of the family.
Our kids keep us pretty busy but I do enjoy playing video games and working on the computer when I have time. I also love fishing but barely have the energy to do that anymore. In the past, when my health was better, I used to raise funds for local organizations through charity haunted houses as Phantoms Haunted House. I am a CAD/CAM programmer but am not currently working.
When I was a young adult, doctors found cysts on my kidneys during an ultrasound and I was told I had Polycystic Kidney Disease. I was informed that it usually doesn’t cause problems until later in life so I took note of it and went back to living my life. I eventually got high blood pressure and started medication to lower it. I was otherwise healthy, though.
This all changed in 2018 when I got really sick and felt short of breath. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure caused by the high blood pressure that was difficult to treat with medication. I started new medication and stabilized after a few months, returning to a mostly normal life besides having to eat a heart-healthy diet, take medications, and sometimes take life a bit slower.
In the spring of 2023, I got worse again. I was hospitalized because my heart was not beating correctly – atrial fibrillation. I went through cardioversion and my heart was shocked into a normal rhythm. I was then referred to Froedtert’s Advanced Care Center to be evaluated for heart transplant. During this time, we also found out that my kidneys were so filled with cysts that the normal parts of a kidney couldn’t even be seen on an ultrasound. I was told I was in Stage 4 of Chronic Kidney Disease and getting close to Stage 5 – End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
In January 2024 I was evaluated for dual heart and kidney transplant at Froedtert Hospital. During the required testing, it was determined that my kidneys are so large due to Polycystic Kidney Disease that they will have to be removed (nephrectomy) in order to put a transplanted kidney in. The doctors are unable to do this surgery along with a dual heart and kidney transplant so this would force the transplants to be separated or staged. I would wait for a heart transplant and begin dialysis if it is needed before a heart is found for me. After transplant, I would need to heal for a few months and then I could get a nephrectomy and kidney transplant at the same time. Doctors have told me that a living donor kidney would provide the best outcomes for me as it is healthier and more likely to last longer.
I am now searching for a living kidney donor. The transplant team advised me that I do not need to find a match – they participate in paired exchange matches. If you’re interested in donating, you can contact the Froedtert Living Kidney Transplant program at 414-805-0310 or fill out the form on their website at: froedtert.com/transplant/kidney-transplant/living-donor/how-to-donate
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at givelifetomichael@gmail.com or you can also follow my Facebook page, Michael’s Heart and Kidney Transplant Journey, for updates or to share my story.
Thank you for visiting my page to hear my story and thank you for considering living donation. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing my story and helping in my search for a donor. I would love to be able to see my children grow and get back to doing the things that I love. Our goal is to go to Disney World again as a family and I need to be much healthier to be able to do that. I am extremely grateful for everyone who is helping me achieve these goals.