Evan Warholic was still learning to save other people’s lives when doctors told him his kidneys were failing. He finished his EMT training anyway, and at 23 he is now running fire and ambulance calls between dialysis treatments.
About Evan Warholic
Evan Warholic is 23 years old and just starting his career helping people through the hardest moments in their lives. Now he's facing one of his own, and he needs a living kidney donor.
Evan works part time with two fire departments in northeastern Ohio, the Warren Township Fire Department and the City of Girard Fire Department. He also works for a private ambulance company, and he's returning to school to get his paramedic certification.
He was called to be a first responder because of his mom, a trauma nurse. Evan was fascinated by the work stories he'd hear from her, and when he finished high school, she encouraged him to consider EMT work. He was still in that training when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. He continued with his training anyway, got his certification, and began working in ambulance transport, taking patients to and from nursing homes.
Evan has had health issues since early childhood. At age five, he suffered hearing loss, and doctors discovered he had Alport syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that damages the kidneys over time and can also affect hearing and vision. In October 2025, it put him on dialysis. He does treatments at home 4 times a week.
Evan wants to finish his paramedic training. He wants to keep riding his motorcycle, keep taking photographs, keep hiking with his girlfriend, Madison, and keep serving the people of his area. For that, Evan needs a living kidney donor.
Do you want to help Evan? Please share the link to Evan’s story or reach out to Kidneys for Communities at info@kidneysforcommunities.org to learn more about how you can help. The Kidneys for Communities team is here to answer your questions.
KIDNEY DONATION
How does kidney donation work?
A donor doesn’t need to be an exact match. In fact, because of the Nobel Prize-winning paired kidney exchange program, your kidney donation will not only save one life, but it will save several more in the chain.
Living kidney donation is safe, and all costs associated with your donation are covered. Living donor kidneys also last much longer than deceased donor kidneys. A deceased donor kidney transplant, on average, lasts 10-15 years, while a living donor transplant lasts 12-20 years.
Kidneys for Communities® Donor Benefits
Donating a kidney is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling acts someone can do.
Kidneys for Communities can help you through the process to help save a life, but we know there are many obstacles that can be prohibitive to the donor. At Kidneys for Communities, we take care of our donors with the industry’s most complete donor benefits package:
Onboarding and education
Personalized guidance through the donation process
Anonymity
Cost reimbursements:
Travel, food & lodging, lost wages, child, pet and adult care