A Daughter’s Gift: Local Woman Donates Kidney to Save her Father’s Life

By: Ruelle Champion

Michelle Rushefsky’s father, Steven Rushefsky, 71, was her first best friend. The 38-year-old grew up as an only child and describes her dad as fun, protective, and larger than life.

Despite Steven’s busy life as a business owner, he was at all of Michelle’s important milestones. The day she earned her doctorate degree in 2021, her dad was by her side. Two days later, she was by his as he was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease. 

“The shock changed me,” Michelle said. “I never recovered from that moment.”

Steven’s kidney disease progressed to stage 5, also known as end-stage renal disease, in 2022.

“We were standing in our kitchen and we had the conversation about him needing a kidney transplant,” Michelle said.

At the time, Steven also had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. His options included waiting three to five years for a deceased donor or find a match through a living kidney donor program recommended by his nephrologist. He soon started meeting with the kidney transplant team at Miami Transplant Institute (MTI), including Giselle Guerra, MD, medical director of the center’s living kidney donor program.

“It’s not an easy conversation to ask someone to donate their organ,” Dr. Guerra said. “At MTI, we work closely with our patients and their families to help them feel comfortable asking that big question.”

Michelle didn’t hesitate to volunteer to be her dad’s donor.

“I’ve never seen him cry before except when we lost our family dog,” she said. “There was no question in my mind to donate.”

On September 1, 2022, the pair checked in together at Jackson Memorial Hospital for the kidney transplant surgery that would change Steven’s life.

“Living donation is by far the best treatment for anyone with kidney failure,” Dr. Guerra said. “It offers the best long-term outcomes with the longest survival and minimal transplant waitlist time.”

When they reunited post-surgery, hospital staff captured every moment on camera. Michelle remembers waking up to immediately check in on her dad.

“I had my hand on his chest asking if he’s okay and he’s still on anesthesia staring up at the lights,” she said. “We were having very different conversations.”

The pair now joke about sharing a kidney, but Michelle says she wouldn’t hesitate to donate all over again.

“It never hurts to ask the question or have the conversation,” she said. “You might find that you can do something incredible.”

Today, Steven is back to living life to the fullest— cooking, riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and keeping Michelle at the center of his universe.

“MTI is a team of really good people who supported us along the way,” Michelle said. “I would 1,000 percent do it again for my dad.”