Mike Saylor

• Donor Search Expert Coach
• Kidney Recipient

Michael (Mike) received the Gift of Life from a living kidney donor in 2011. He was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy in 2009 when he was 42 years old. The doctors sent him home with a video to watch and told him to decide what type of dialysis he wanted to do.

Knowing absolutely nothing about kidney disease, Mike and his wife, LeighAnn, began studying kidney disease and ended up traveling to the Mayo Clinic. The doctors there advised them to move towards a living kidney donor transplant so he could avoid dialysis.

His wife LeighAnn took to social media, seeking a donor, and the response was overwhelming. Approximately 20 people came forward. His living donor (Tim Clark) was a friend he played high school football with but hadn’t seen in over a decade. As a result, he received his second chance at life on Oct. 5, never having to spend a single day on dialysis. He is now 10 years out from the transplant and is back to living an active life.

Mike, LeighAnn, and Tim realized they needed to help others navigate the journey, so the three of them founded Mulligans Living Kidney Donors in 2011 to help others in kidney failure in their home state of Kentucky. They are determined to make it easier for people on the same voyage by using their life-changing methods and experiences to coach donors and recipients.

Mike is an electrical contractor in Louisville, Kentucky. Ironically, he had wired dialysis centers as a young apprentice, never entertaining the thought of being tied to that same machine. When he isn’t working, he is extremely active and has served as the head football coach for the Catholic grade school system in the Archdiocese of Louisville for 16 years.

Mike is very involved in his church, St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. He is the Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Chapter that he started at St. Margaret Mary’s. In addition, Mr. Saylor is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and regularly volunteers with the Special Olympics, Little Sisters of the Poor Soup Kitchen, Hand in Hand Ministries, and Habitat for Humanity.

He proudly serves as an ambassador for the American Kidney Fund and is a coach for the National Kidney Registry.