The Gift of Life: a friendship formed over an old car that led to a selfless gift

EARLY, Iowa (KTIV) – Right now, there are more than 100-thousand Americans on the national transplant waiting list.

On average, 13 people die each day waiting for an organ.

One northwest Iowa man spent years on that list but now is on the road to recovery thanks to a friendship formed over an old car that led to a life-saving gift.

A frightening diagnosis landed Terry Argostinger on the kidney transplant list.

“My doctor told me that my kidneys had just decided to shut down faster than normal,” Argostinger reminisced.

After three years with little hope, Terry’s condition turned dire.

“A friend of mine died in 2021 that started work on this car. And his family sold me this car so I could finish it in his honor,” said Argostinger. “And I give Bob, my friend from heaven, credit for putting me in front of Cory. Because that’s how I found him. With this car.”

Two men, who didn’t know each other, would soon share a bond deeper than friendship.

“Last fall, one day he saw how much I was dealing with, with dialysis,” Argostinger explained. “I was tired, I was numb, I had a fog.”

As Terry’s health declined, Cory Tiefenthaler made an impulsive decision that gave Terry some long awaited hope.

“He had come in that day, and I knew he’d had some issues, and his levels, he’d talked about levels and different things of his kidneys, and then he came in that day and said they had kind of really started to take a turn for the worse,” said Tiefenthaler. “And I just said, well if it ever comes down to it, I would be willing to offer a kidney if he needed it.”

“I went numb,” thought Argostinger. “I had to go home and think about that. He is a 45-year-old man with a wife and three little kids. That was not an easy decision.”

Cory’s kidney wasn’t a direct match, but he donated a kidney on Terry’s behalf through a national kidney exchange chain. His donation set off a series of life-saving transplants.

“I went into the hospital on a Wednesday for the surgery and I was out on Friday. Within that next week I personally felt good enough to be out and about and doing a lot of different things.”

For Cory, the donation process was relatively simple. But, for Terry, when he woke up at the University of Nebraska Leid Transplant Center it changed everything. From the moment he woke up he knew he had a new lease on life.

“From the first day out of surgery, second day especially after anesthesia, I knew I felt better,” said Argostinger.

Terry now celebrates July 2nd, the day of his transplant, as his second birthday. And he’s embracing a freedom he thought he’d lost forever.

“My wife has to make an appointment with me just to have breakfast together,’ Argostinger joked. ”The freedom is just; my friends and I have taken off. I’ve covered 5-thousand miles just doing things that I was backed up to do. And I’m just full steam ahead.”

As for the 1957 Chevy that brought Terry and Cory together… the pair expects the project to be done, and on its way to classic car shows, this year.

A single organ donor can save 8 lives and enhance 75 more.

You can become an organ donor by registering the decision on your driver’s license.

To learn more about organ donation, explore these links:

Search | Nebraska Medicine Omaha, NE

Information about Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation | organdonor.gov

Organ Transplant | US Organ Donation System | UNOS

Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.

Copyright 2025 KTIV. All rights reserved.