How an Oklahoma college student's TikTok video saved her life

Posts on social media platforms often result in surprises, but a local college student was beyond shocked ― and grateful — when her TikTok video not only went viral but connected her to a generous stranger with a big heart.

Katie Hallum, a University of Oklahoma senior and a member of the Cherokee Nation, was connected to a stranger who saw her joking on TikTok about being in kidney failure. Savannah Stallbaumer, of Kansas, was so moved with compassion that she donated one of her kidneys to Hallum.

"I think social media has some negative aspects but it definitely has some positive aspects, especially the fact that it literally saved my life," Hallum said.

This real-life TikTok tale began with Hallum, 21, who had been diagnosed with IgA nephropathy at age 18. According to the American Kidney Fund, IgA nephropathy is a rare disease and common cause of kidney failure. She began having seizures during her sophomore year of college in 2021 and her doctor determined that she needed dialysis to live, hopefully until she received a kidney transplant.

"I drove myself to Norman Regional, had a massive seizure and spent eight days in ICU," Hallum said. "When I woke up, I was in kidney failure."

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Hallum said she was put on a waiting list for a kidney, but she never thought to ask someone to donate one of their organs to her because of the personal nature of such a request. She did come up with a bunch of jokes about her medical diagnosis and friends got a kick out of her ability to find the humor in a serious situation. They encouraged her to share her funny take on TikTok and that's where she captured Stallbaumer's attention.

In July 2022, Stallbaumer, a licensed practical nurse of Silver Lake, Kansas, had already begun noticing Hallum's TikTok videos, but the clip with the OU student joking about her medical issue stood out from others she had posted. Stallbaumer, 22, said she commented on the post generally asking what it would take for someone to donate a kidney.

Hallum said she was surprised with the number of "likes" her video had amassed in just a few hours. Ultimately, that one video drew 30,000 likes and Stallbaumer wasn't the only person who reached out to Hallum asking about the organ donation procedures.

"It's interesting that people who had only known I was in kidney failure for a few minutes were asking how they could get tested," Hallum said.

She eventually noticed Stallbaumer's comments. When the Kansan sent her a direct message to show that she was serious about seeing if she was a match, Hallum said she really didn't take her or any other TikTok commenters seriously because they were strangers.

When Stallbaumer persisted, Hallum told her that she was too young to consider donating her kidney.

"I even told her that there's a chance her kidney might die in me," Hallum said.

Stallbaumer also recalled those conversations.

"She tried to talk me out of it," she said.

But Stallbaumer went to bed one night and couldn't sleep.

"I thought what if I am a match and I never did anything about it," she said.

Eventually, Hallum gave Stallbaumer information so that she could pursue her interest in possibly donating her kidney.

"I'm basically trying to discourage her from donating, but she told me that she'd done her research and she was adamant that she wanted to do it," Hallum said. "I said, OK, because I thought she wouldn't even match with me or something would get her disqualified from donating to me. So, I gave her the number to call."

Hallum had no idea that Stallbaumer was on a mission.

'Hello, my name is Savannah and I am donating my kidney'

Stallbaumer went through the required testing to see if she was a match to donate her kidney to Hallum. She said she had to fill out a ton of paperwork, too.

She said she grew up in the foster care system in Kansas and was adopted in her teens. She became a certified nursing assistant while in high school and a licensed professional nurse in college. With plans to enroll in nursing school to become a registered nurse, Stallbaumer began working as an LPN and remembered one of her patients saying that being on dialysis was miserable for him. She said she came to genuinely like Katie, and the conversation with the dialysis patient and her belief in the lifesaving nature of organ and bone marrow transplants led her to believe she was right to pursue kidney donation.

When she learned that she was a match to donate her kidney to Hallum, she reached out to the TikToker's parents, Tony and Misty Hallum, of Tahlequah, through Facebook Messenger to tell them the news first. She had an idea to surprise Hallum with the news in person.

Tony Hallum said he was astonished when he read Stallbaumer's message: "Hello, my name is Savannah and I am donating my kidney to Katie."

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"To say that I was shocked would be an understatement and I remember staring at her message thinking, 'Is this real?'" he said. "I've heard of these stories, but you don't think that this will happen to you."

He said he had been tested and learned that he was the wrong blood type to donate his kidney to his daughter. He said his wife was the right blood type but doctors felt it would be too much of a health risk for her to attempt the donation. Tony Hallum said doctors told the family that Katie would most likely receive a cadaver kidney.

He said no one had a rougher time than his daughter once they realized she had a life-threatening illness. "To be honest, those were some pretty dark days for us."

Tony Hallum relied on his Christian faith and encouraged Katie to do the same.

"Every time I prayed, 'God would you heal my daughter?' and every time, I heard him say, 'I will heal her, in my time, in my way,'" he said.

The grateful dad said he had been proud that his daughter managed to keep up with her college studies during the medical upheaval. So when Stallbaumer reached out to him with her news, they hatched a plan to surprise Katie at a Norman restaurant.

Stallbaumer approached Katie and her parents while they were eating lunch. She got Katie's attention and held up a big sign announcing the news that she was going to be able to donate her kidney.

Hallum said she saw Stallbaumer and her sign and realized that her new friend and her parents had planned a big surprise.

"I looked down and I thought, 'This is happening,'" she said. "I don't usually cry, but I definitely sobbed. I think all that stress and worry and whatnot hit me in that moment."

'She's our angel'

Stallbaumer said even as she was being wheeled into the operating room she heard Hallum yelling, "You can still change your mind!"

She didn't change her mind.

The transplant took place on Aug. 17 in Tulsa.

Hallum said she feels great and she recently returned to OU. She's continuing to pursue her degree in journalism and international security and currently works at KGOU. She would love to become a foreign correspondent or go into international arbitration. And she's looking forward to continuing her friendship with Stallbaumer, who plans to visit the Hallums soon.

Stallbaumer plans to attend nursing school in January 2024.

She said her family wondered why she wanted to donate a kidney. She said her parents may have been concerned about her donating her organ to a stranger but they loved Katie when they met her and seem fine with how things worked out.

She said she isn't a believer in religion but she did think "something in the universe wanted it (donation) to happen."

Stallbaumer said people wonder if she regrets her decision to donate her kidney.

"I would never regret something like this," she said.

As for Hallum's parents, they feel like they gained a daughter.

"I am so very thankful to Savannah, and I know it sounds like a cliché, but she's our angel," Tony Hallum said.

"When I heard a little bit of her story and I thought she is an impressive young lady to commit such a selfless act for another human being. It speaks volumes about her and I consider her another daughter."

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The thankful dad said he didn't really know much about TikTok before Stallbaumer and Katie were connected through the social media platform. He said his eyes kind of roll around in his head when his daughter talks about TikTok but he doesn't deny that the social media platform gave their family an interesting story to tell.

"If you wrote it up in a movie, nobody would even believe you because it's surreal," he said.

"TikTok wasn't around when I was a kid and I have never understood the appeal — but I'm sure thankful Katie was on it."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: University of Oklahoma student makes TikTok joke, gets kidney donation