Organ donor unwittingly had rabies — and now one kidney recipient is dead and others are at risk

Nypost · May 29, 2026 · 517 words · By Natalie O'Neill

Medical Error/Risk Organ Donation Safety Public Health Response

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What to know about Medical Error/Risk

Organ donor unwittingly had rabies — and now one kidney recipient is dead and others are at risk See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Organ donor unwittingly had rabies — and now one kidney recipient is dead and others are at risk See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleA Michigan grandpa was killed by the kidney donation he thought would save his life — because the organ donor was infected with rabies from a skunk in a medical nightmare that could affect other organ recipients, according to…

Common ground

Barney Kurowicki, of Tecumseh, Michigan, had been on dialysis for two years when he received a kidney transplant from James Martin, a 59-year-old Idaho father of three, in December 2024, Scripps News reported this week.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Medical Error/Risk story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that his other organs were donated to recipients and researchers in six states?
How does this story connect Medical Error/Risk with Organ Donation Safety over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/us-news/organ-donor-unwittingly-had-rabies-and-now…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 70% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

schedule Pending 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “his other organs were donated to recipients and researchers in six states.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that Martin's other organs were donated to recipients and researchers across six states.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... The organs he donated were then tested for more common diseases such as HIV and hepatitis before being shipped to transplant recipients — but ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/us-news/organ-donor-unwittingl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ... other organs were donated to recipients and researchers in six states. James Martin was unknowingly infected with rabies before his family donated his organs.
https://www.aol.com/articles/organ-donor-unwittingly-had-rab…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 14, 2025 ... NOTA created the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN)—a national computerized organ donation-to-recipient matching system. OPTN ...
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48426

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Claim 2: “He died within days, according to the report.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources state the recipient died 'within days' or 'months' after the transplant, with one specifically stating 'died within days'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 30, 2026 ... A Michigan grandfather who spent years waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant died within days after receiving an organ infected with ...
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/midwest-dad-barney-kur…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 12, 2024 ... Richard Slayman, the 62-year-old man who received the first-ever pig kidney transplant in the world has died, his family announced on Saturday.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C63z0sosoLL/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Barney Kurowicki, of Tecumseh, Michigan, had been on dialysis for two years when he received a kidney transplant from James Martin, a 59-year-old Idaho father ...
https://www.aol.com/articles/organ-donor-unwittingly-had-rab…

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Claim 3: “Testing and an investigation led researchers to determine he had contracted rabies from Martin — who had been scratched by a skunk on the left shin while rescuing his family kitten from the animal in fall 2024.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the investigation linked the rabies to the donor, James Martin, who had been scratched by a skunk while rescuing a kitten.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 21, 2026 ... ... had been scratched by a skunk. According to the CDC, the information ... Kurowicki's rabies infection was linked directly to James Martin, the ...
https://www.scrippsnews.com/investigations/rabies/organ-reci…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... Testing and an investigation led researchers to determine he had contracted rabies from Martin — who had been scratched by a skunk on the ...
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/us-news/organ-donor-unwittingl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 30, 2026 ... Kidney transplant recipient Barney Kurowicki and a cornea graft recipient both contracted rabies after receiving organs from a donor, James ...
https://people.com/organ-donor-unknowingly-gave-rabies-to-tw…

schedule

Claim 4: “A committee tasked with reducing donor-derived illnesses during organ transplants has since proposed adding screening questions that will help determine if a donor has had contact with rabies”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 5: “Martin had died the previous year of what his family believed was heart problems”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for 'James Martin' consists of a Jesuit priest, a chef, and a Facebook post about a different James Martin. There is no evidence confirming the specific death details of the donor James Martin mentioned in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Joseph Martin Jr. (born December 29, 1960) is an American Jesuit priest, writer, editor-at-large of America magazine, and the founder of Outreach. A New York Times Best-Selling author, Martin's …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Martin_(priest)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James, Jim, or Jimmy Martin may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Martin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Martin (born 30 June 1972) is a British chef and television presenter, best known for his television work with the cookery series Saturday Kitchen from 2006 until 2016, before leaving the BBC. M…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Martin_(chef)

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “Barney Kurowicki, of Tecumseh, Michigan, had been on dialysis for two years when he received a kidney transplant from James Martin, a 59-year-old Idaho father of three, in December 2024”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific names (Barney Kurowicki and James Martin) and the date (December 2024) appear in one specific news snippet, but other search results for these names are irrelevant (e.g., Barney & Friends, Jesuit priests).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Barney & Friends is an American children's television series created by Sheryl Leach targeted at preschoolers ages 2 to 5. The flagship production of the Barney franchise, it originally aired on PBS t…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_&_Friends

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — #Barney @Barney Welcome to Barney and Friends' home on YouTube, where you can find the video clips and full episodes! In the world of Barney, sharing and caring are key, imaginations flourish and ...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTn45orVsFOsNZHxAJcZK5g

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Barney & Friends is an American live-action educational children's television series that premiered on the Public Broadcasting Service on April 6, 1992. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although …
https://barney.fandom.com/wiki/Barney_&_Friends

help

Claim 7: “The last time the CDC reported someone contracting rabies through an organ or tissue transplant in the US was in 2013, and prior to that it was 2004.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to confirm the specific years (2013, 2004) of previous CDC reported rabies transmissions via transplant.

info

Claim 8: “Kurowicki got the transplant at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general event is corroborated, the specific location (University of Toledo Medical Center) is only mentioned in the context of the primary reporting source.

travel_explore

verified

Claim 9: “rabies, which kills about 10 people in the US annually.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries provide general information about rabies prevalence and pathology, but none of the provided snippets specify the exact number of annual deaths in the US as 'about 10'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The prevalence of rabies, a deadly viral disease affecting mammals, varies significantly across regions worldwide, posing a persistent public health problem. Rabies is caused by lyssaviruses, includin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_rabies

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease that causes acute and severe encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic whe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In animals, rabies is a viral zoonotic neuro-invasive disease which causes inflammation in the brain and is usually fatal. Rabies, caused by the rabies virus, primarily infects mammals. In the laborat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_in_animals

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Claim 10: “A Michigan grandpa was killed by the kidney donation he thought would save his life — because the organ donor was infected with rabies from a skunk”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that a Michigan man died of rabies after receiving a kidney from a donor who had been infected by a skunk, citing a CDC report.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Man dies from rabies after receiving kidney at Ohio hospital from donor who’d been attacked by skunk: CDC report. 13 hours ago. By Laura Morrison.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A Michigan man died of rabies after receiving a kidney transplant from another man who was infected by the disease when a skunk scratched him, federal health officials said in a new report.
https://www.aol.com/articles/man-dies-rabies-receiving-infec…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A Michigan man died of rabies months after receiving a transplanted kidney from someone who unknowingly had contracted the disease from a skunk, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Cont…
https://www.wowt.com/2025/12/11/man-dies-rabies-after-kidney…

info

Claim 11: “The organs he donated were then tested for more common diseases such as HIV and hepatitis before being shipped to transplant recipients — but they were not tested for rabies”

SINGLE SOURCE

The detail about testing for HIV and hepatitis but not rabies is mentioned in one specific source reporting the event.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — James are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1982. [6] They achieved popularity during the 1990s, with four top-10 hits on the UK Singles Chart and nine top-10 placings on the UK Albums C…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_(band)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Trials and Temptations - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you …
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1&version…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — James encourages practical Christian living and urges believers to demonstrate their faith through actions. It addresses trials, wisdom, and the power of prayer, highlighting the importance of control…
https://biblehub.com/james/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.