I Asked the World’s Most Powerful People for Help and Then Realized the Answer Might Be Somebody’s Grandmother in Nebraska

Steven Mills has survived cancer twice, a bone marrow transplant and the unimaginable challenges of kidney failure. Now the Kansas pastor and longtime broadcaster is launching One Million Voices, a movement built on one extraordinary possibility: that ordinary people can help him find the one compatible kidney donor he desperately needs.

There is a certain irony in spending much of your adult life behind a microphone, learning how to reach thousands of people with the push of a button, only to discover that the most important message you’ll ever deliver is also the hardest one to get to the right person. I’ve introduced hit records, managed radio stations, interviewed interesting people and preached sermons about faith, hope and perseverance. But I never imagined that one day I’d be using everything I learned about communication to ask the world to help me stay alive.

And believe me, I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. Dialysis has a way of rearranging your calendar, your priorities and occasionally your sense of humor. I have survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a bone marrow transplant and colon cancer. Now my kidneys have failed, my heart has suffered significant damage, and my medical history makes finding a compatible kidney extraordinarily difficult. At this point, I’d like to formally request that my body stop auditioning for medical documentaries. I’ve already got enough material for an entire Netflix series.

But there’s something important I want everyone to understand.

I’m still here. I’m still fighting. And I’m not finished living.

Over the past several months, I’ve done something that would have seemed almost unimaginable to me years ago. I’ve publicly challenged some of the world’s most influential people to help bring attention to my search for a compatible living kidney donor.

Elon Musk. Mark Zuckerberg. Joe Rogan. MrBeast. Leaders in technology, broadcasting and digital media.

I’ve asked them to consider what might happen if even a fraction of their enormous reach could be directed toward helping someone find a second chance at life.

And I want to be absolutely clear about something.

I respect what these individuals have accomplished.

Elon Musk has helped change the conversation about space exploration and technology. Mark Zuckerberg helped build platforms that connect people across the planet. Joe Rogan has demonstrated how one conversation can reach an audience larger than many traditional broadcast networks. MrBeast has shown that online entertainment can coexist with extraordinary acts of generosity.

My challenges were never intended as insults. They were invitations.

And those invitations remain open.

But somewhere between another dialysis treatment, another medical appointment and another evening wondering whether my story had reached the right person, something finally occurred to me.

Why am I waiting for one person with a million followers when a million ordinary people could become the voices that help me find one person?

That’s when everything changed.

I don’t know why Nebraska came to mind. Maybe it’s my years in radio. Maybe it’s because I’ve learned that some of the most remarkable people you’ll ever meet don’t have blue checkmarks beside their names.

But imagine this.

Somebody’s grandmother is sitting at her kitchen table, drinking coffee, scrolling through Facebook and wondering why people keep posting pictures of what they had for dinner.

Then she sees a video.

A Kansas pastor needs a kidney.

She watches. She shares it.

Her granddaughter sees it in Omaha. Her granddaughter sends it to a friend in Denver. That friend knows somebody in Dallas who has been thinking about living kidney donation.

And suddenly, a chain of ordinary human connections has opened a possibility that no amount of money or fame could guarantee.

Now, I have absolutely no idea whether my compatible donor is in Nebraska, Texas, New York or somewhere else entirely.

But I do know this.

The right person cannot respond to a story they’ve never heard.

And that is why I’m launching something entirely new.

<text>WATCH THE OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN VIDEO</text>

I’m calling it FIND MY ONE — ONE MILLION VOICES.

The goal is ambitious. I want one million people to become part of a living, breathing, sharing, talking, praying, encouraging movement.

Not one million dollars.

Not one million kidneys.

One million voices helping me find ONE medically compatible kidney donor.

And here’s the beautiful part.

You don’t need a production studio. You don’t need a television station. You don’t need a celebrity publicist. You don’t even need particularly good lighting.

Trust me, I’ve worked in broadcasting long enough to know that some of us look better with the lights turned down anyway.

All you need is about 30 seconds.

Record yourself saying:

“I’M ONE! I’M HELPING STEVEN FIND ONE!”

Post your video in the comments beneath my campaign announcement, or share it on your own social media page and tag me.

Then challenge three friends to do the same.

That’s it.

And if recording yourself isn’t your thing, simply share the video and direct people to https://FindMyOne.org.

The movement begins with something so simple that almost anybody can participate.

And that’s exactly the point.

This journey has already introduced me to some extraordinary human beings.

Joshua Liljenquist and his team helped bring my circumstances to an audience I could never have reached alone. Thousands of people have contributed financially. Others have sent encouraging messages, offered prayers and shared my story with people they love.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak with broadcasters on The TJ Show, The Ramsey Show, The Chris Plante Show and Edgar “Shoboy” Sotelo’s program. Television news organizations, including KAKE-TV and KMBC 9, have helped bring attention to this search.

And I am grateful.

Deeply grateful.

But here’s the reality that doesn’t always fit neatly into a television sound bite.

A million views cannot guarantee one compatible kidney.

Because of my medical history, I am extremely highly sensitized. That means finding a donor whose kidney is medically compatible with me is exceptionally difficult.

Some wonderful people have expressed interest in helping. But willingness and compatibility are not the same thing.

That is why I cannot stop searching.

And that is why your share matters.

Not because sharing automatically saves a life.

But because sharing creates another opportunity for the right person to hear about the need and consider being evaluated.

First, share the video.

Don’t assume somebody else will do it. Share it with your friends, your family, your church, your coworkers, your community and anybody who believes a human life is worth thirty seconds of attention.

Second, consider being evaluated as a living kidney donor.

I’m not asking anyone to make a medical decision based on an emotional article. Living donation is a serious, voluntary process that requires careful medical evaluation, informed consent and guidance from qualified transplant professionals.

But if you’ve ever considered becoming a living donor, I would be grateful if you explored that possibility through the HCA Midwest Health Living Donor Program.

And even if you’re not medically compatible with me, learning about living donation may someday help someone else.

Third, if you’re able, please consider making a financial contribution.

Surviving a serious illness is expensive. Surviving several can turn a family’s financial world upside down.

Dialysis, medical appointments, travel, prescriptions and the everyday expenses of staying alive don’t disappear just because a person is fighting for their health.

I am profoundly thankful to everyone who has already helped. If you are in a position to contribute, financial assistance makes a real difference in my ability to navigate this journey.

You can support the authorized fundraiser here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pastor-steven-fight-for-his-life-p74hx

Financial contributions support my medical and living expenses. They are entirely separate from the living donor evaluation process and are never payments for an organ.

And if you’re unable to give, please don’t underestimate the value of sharing.

The invitation is still open.

There are no hard feelings, no scorecards and no demand that anybody explain why they haven’t responded.

I know that prominent people receive more requests than most of us could imagine. I also know that many of them have supported remarkable humanitarian efforts.

My hope has always been that someone with an extraordinary platform might see an opportunity to do something extraordinary.

But I’ve learned something important.

The power to change a life doesn’t belong exclusively to people with enormous platforms.

It belongs to people who care enough to act.

So whether you’re a billionaire, a nationally syndicated broadcaster, a social media creator with millions of followers or somebody’s grandmother in Nebraska with 37 Facebook friends, I’m inviting you to join us.

And Grandma, if you’re reading this, please understand that I mean absolutely no disrespect. In fact, you might be the most important person in this entire story.

Just please share the video before you post another picture of your casserole.

There are still sermons I want to preach. Stories I want to write. Songs I want to play on the piano. People I want to encourage. Ordinary mornings I want to wake up and experience without wondering what the next medical complication might bring.

I want to keep serving my church. I want to keep building On The Dial. I want to keep laughing at things that probably aren’t as funny as I think they are.

And yes, I’d really like to experience a future in which dialysis no longer dictates so much of my life.

I know that none of this comes with guarantees.

But I also know what happens when people decide that somebody else’s life matters.

I’ve witnessed it.

I’ve experienced it.

And now I’m asking you to help me take it further than ever before.

One million voices is the goal. One compatible kidney donor is the hope. And every single person who participates gives this story another opportunity to reach someone new.

I don’t know who my one is.

I don’t know where that person lives.

I don’t know whether they’ve already heard my name.

But I believe the search is worth continuing.

And I believe you can help.

So watch the video. Make your own. Challenge three friends. Share this article. Consider being evaluated. Make a donation if you can.

Because somewhere beyond the next share, the next conversation or the next act of compassion, there may be a person who can help change everything.

ONE MILLION VOICES. ONE MISSION. FIND MY ONE.

DON’T LET IT STOP WITH YOU!

New One Million Voices campaign video
https://youtube.com/shorts/StcxTOQS0rs

Official campaign website
https://FindMyOne.org

HCA Midwest Health Living Donor Program
https://www.hcamidwest.com/patient-resources/living-donor-program

Financial assistance and authorized GoFundMe
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-pastor-steven-fight-for-his-life-p74hx

The TJ Show interview
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-tj-show-107933196/episode/steven-mills-346784072/

Original Joshua Liljenquist video
https://www.lemon8-app.com/@joshlilj/7669122830998569486?region=us

KMBC 9 television coverage
https://www.kmbc.com/article/steven-mills-kidney-donor-kansas-tiktok-josh-liljenquist/73386625

KAKE-TV coverage
Viral Content Creator Launches GoFundMe for Western Kansas Pastor in Need of Living Kidney Donor

Questions or media inquiries:
steven@findmyone.org
steven.mills@onthedial.net

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