Our Lady of Champion inspires organ donor

CHAMPION – One of the most unique things about Wisconsin is the presence of the first Catholic national shrine in the U.S. with an approved Marian Apparition — the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. In 2009, Most Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay, opened a formal Church investigation into the Marian apparitions that occurred in 1859 on the site of the Shrine. In 2010, Bishop Ricken declared the apparitions “Worthy of Belief” by the Authority of the Catholic Church and in 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the grounds as a National Shrine.

When Karen Hill heard the news, she knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity for an experience which many would make a pilgrimage across the world for.

“Since I was a little girl, Our Lady has been a source of comfort, strength, courage and inspiration,” she said. “I have been devoted to Our Lady of Champion since attending the inaugural Mass of her solemnity.”

In late October of 2024, Hill heard a story that made her wonder whether she could do something similar.

“I heard this news story in October about a doctor who had donated his kidney and liver at the same time. And I thought, ‘Wow, isn’t that just an amazing thing to do?’ And I felt I really should do this. I really, really, really should do this. And so then I started to research kidney and liver donations, because I didn’t want to go in blind. And the more I read, I said, ‘Okay, I might be able to do this.’”

A decision like donating an organ isn’t one to be taken lightly, but Hill said her conviction to her faith assured her it was the right thing to do.

“In hearing some of the things that Pope Francis was saying about the Jubilee Year of Hope, which only happens every 25 years, and wouldn’t it be great if every person, every Catholic, especially, but every person, could just ignite a little hope in the life of someone else? What could we not get done?” Hill said. “Imagine how much hope there would be in the world. We live in a world that doesn’t have nearly enough hope.”

Hill didn’t initially tell her family about her plans, both because she may have been rejected and because she knew they might try to talk her out of her choice. She knew from the beginning she planned to donate her kidney to a stranger, something even most living organ donors are hesitant to do.

“I told my husband in December, when I really made up my mind I was going to do it, and I said, ‘You’re going to support me and, and you’re not going to say a word about it. That’s your job, because I really want to do this.’ And I said, ‘I’m being very, very selfish right now, because this is something that I want to do for me, something I want to do because I want to know I did something that brought hope to someone else.’”

Hill began the process with Mayo Clinic in January, undergoing extensive medical tests and cancer screenings. Along that journey, however, she began to doubt herself.

“I started thinking, ‘Am I healthy enough? Am I good enough? Am I thin enough?’ There’s all those things and and for that, I turned to Our Lady of Champion and her words: ‘Do not fear. I will help you. I am with you.’ I kept coming back to those words of hers and they live in my heart,” Hill said.

Both doctors and loved ones warned Hill of the risks and complications of organ donation, which meant a long recovery time and possible health risks down the line, but she continued to draw strength from her faith.

“People began to come to me and say, ‘This is a surgery that’s not super easy to recover from. You’re going to be in terrible pain. You’re going to have all these things.’ And I told myself, ‘No, I can’t be fearful. I have backing in my corner. I’m going to be okay.”

Hill and her husband didn’t tell their eight children until May, when they first had to travel for testing.

“My kids said, ‘Of course you’re going to donate a kidney. What else would we expect?’”

That travel became another obstacle for Hill due to the financial burden of traveling for medical testing, which happened in Rochester.

“One of my biggest concerns was, I don’t have enough money. I can’t afford to do this. Then I was shown the way to the National Kidney Donor Fund and Donor Shield, which are two programs whose purpose is to help kidney donors and organ donors to be able to pay for their expenses.”

The programs paid for travel, hotels and meals, meaning all Hill and her husband needed to do was show up.

Before Hill was wheeled in for surgery, her medical team repeatedly checked in to make sure she still felt comfortable with her choice. Rather than feeling trepidation, however, Hill said she was overcome with excitement.

“I told them just can’t wait. I said, ‘I have an ulterior motive.’ They asked me what I meant and I said, ‘I want to do so well at this that you have to let me donate part of my liver next year.’”

Hill donated her left kidney to a stranger on July 10. She was given the option to learn about her recipient, but decided she didn’t want either party to feel any obligation. All she knows is her kidney was transported to a hospital in Boston, and Hill said she doesn’t need to know anything else.

“My medical team has expressed that they find great hope in non-directed organ donations. They tell me that the family and friends of the recipient will soon see the transformation of their loved one which will, undoubtedly, inspire other acts of hope,” Hill said. “I wanted to bring a small light of hope into a world clouded with darkness because we need it, now more than ever.”

Looking to get involved with The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion? Learn more about an upcoming event on July 20 at https://championshrine.org/all-events/pilgrims-of-hope-jubilee-mass/