The Ultimate Gift
Working in healthcare inspired Craig Kwolik to donate the gift of life
It’s late afternoon at St. Benedict’s Senior Living Facility, and Nutrition Services Manager Craig Kwolik is helping with dinner prep in the kitchen. His team provides meals for close to 100 residents. Craig also oversees nutrition services for CentraCare’s Chateau Waters community in Sartell. He’s only been in the job for about a year, but he has spent the majority of his career working in the restaurant industry.
“I like working with the people and getting to know some of the residents,”
said Kwolik. “That was one of the things I enjoyed about my previous job as well – just getting to know the customers and interacting with them and seeing new ones every day. Here you see the same ones, so you get to actually know more about them, and just understanding them and their life.”
Nutrition is something Craig cares deeply about; when he was in his early twenties he suffered from a debilitating illness.
“I have hyperactive thyroid disorder, basically, where my metabolism ultimately eats away at my body. So at the end, I got super sick – I lost a ton of weight. I was hospitalized for a little while. It was kind of scary. I’m not gonna lie.”
At the age of 25, Craig weighed less than 100 pounds.
Through a combination of medications, diet and exercise, he was able to get his condition under control. He became a vegetarian, and then, ten years later, switched to a vegan diet. He’s very active, running and working out daily.
Now – years after getting off of thyroid medications – Craig is determined to help someone else live a longer, healthier life. If all goes according to plan, he’ll donate one of his kidneys to a person in need later this year.
After work, Craig makes the commute to his home in Annandale and begins preparing his own dinner, this time with his husband Josh. Here they live with their dog, a Pekingese Bhushan named Chompers. Cura, Craig’s daughter, is home for the weekend.
Craig first thought about kidney donation when a friend of his had kidney disease years ago. When he joined CentraCare, he said being around people in a health care setting inspired him to want to move forward with donation.
Josh says he was at first a little concerned when Craig told him he wanted to donate a kidney – but not surprised.
“I suppose my first reaction was not great. I was concerned about him. That was probably my initial concern, you know, hey, is this going to jeopardize a situation that you now have under control and have been managing really well?”
Now, Josh says he’s actually looking forward to the opportunity to support Craig through the surgery and recovery. “He’s such an incredible person – such a caring, giving person. I look forward to the opportunity to reciprocate that.”
Craig says he has always had a passion for helping out in whatever way he can.
“Every time we had a blood drive at school, I signed up. Me and my friends started doing that every other month – just donating blood just because we thought it was fun to go do that and then hang out after.”
That giving spirit is a big part of who Craig is, and he hopes that by donating a kidney, he’ll give the gift of health to someone who really needs it.
I just feel like, if I can live still and have somebody else benefit from something like that – I feel like why not?”.
Craig Kwolik, Nutrition Services Manager
what a beautiful family!!!!
With all that is going on in our world today, what a boost to read this real-life account of unselfish caring and positivity!
WoW. You are one amazing man. Thank you for choosing CentraCare and being such a great role model. Impressive and Touching.
Inspiring story. Thank you, Craig, for all you do.