A man of giant stature everyone felt Steve’s presence and lasting impact. He touched everyone he came into contact with… He remains a deep inspiration to us all… A most generous man completely devoting himself to his wife, Judaism, recovery, and to helping other people in anyway he could… A beholder of simple values and way of life. A great love of God and God’s magnificent wonders… people, the arts, the ballet, flowers, culinary cuisine, the ocean, Florida, music, drama, and the long list goes on…

Steve was an enormously committed man who overcame so many insurmountable odds throughout his life, more than one person should have to endure. He always picked himself up when facing significant adversity. He never complained of his difficult lot in life. He was and remains a true hero.

He lived and died for a working kidney transplant. In continuing his spirit and legacy, we started The Steven Michael Rivkin Foundation, a non-profit organization that will help many highly-sensitized kidney patients get and keep kidney transplants.

 To honor his wishes, The Foundation will be dedicated to helping end-stage renal patients, like Steve, who find it virtually impossible to get compatible kidney transplants and need a second chance at life. To this end, we are establishing for the first time a permanent, distinguished lecture series that will focus on incompatible and other protocols for hard-to –match kidney transplant candidates. The lecture series will reside at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the world leader in this area. The lecture series will benefit the patient and medical community worldwide. The Foundation will also be supporting expansion of the number of kidney transplants for difficult- to –match recipients by providing financial emotional and educationl support to the donor and the recipient.

We love you, Steve, with all our heart and being; we are enormously proud of you for what you stood for, for the person that you are; and for all that you overcame in you lifetime; we will sorely miss you… Your loving spirit surrounds us forever and ever, and we will carry your spirit with great love and pride forever and ever.