The developer of Blue Prince, the critically acclaimed puzzle game that launched in April 2025, just made an emotional plea for help on Bluesky. Matthew Iggy Kowalski, one of the game’s lead playtesters who helped shape the experience over years of development, has polycystic kidney disease and only has months to find a living kidney donor. Without a transplant, he will die. The gaming community is rallying to spread awareness and hopefully connect Iggy with someone who can save his life.
The Urgent Medical Situation
Iggy suffers from autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, a genetic condition that causes cysts to grow all over the kidneys, making them massive in size while their function deteriorates. He describes it like the chest-burster from Alien, except it’s not an alien baby and there’s no theatrical release coming. It’s just his kidneys slowly failing, and time is running out.
There is no other viable medical option besides finding a living donor. A deceased donor kidney carries serious risks in his case including contracting HIV or hepatitis, and those organs don’t last nearly as long. The waitlist for a deceased donor kidney is seven years long anyway. Iggy won’t make it that long. His doctors at University of Michigan Ann Arbor have made it clear that a living donor is the only realistic path to survival.
The Good News About Living Donation
If Iggy can find a living donor, the outcomes are expected to be quite good. The transplanted kidney could last 20 to 30 years, and given his age and overall health aside from the kidney disease, doctors are optimistic. The only major risk comes from having major surgery, which is inherent to any transplant procedure. But the long-term prognosis with a healthy donated kidney is genuinely positive.
For potential donors, there’s important information that might ease concerns. The entire procedure is covered by insurance and assistance programs. You don’t need to be a direct blood type match thanks to paired donation programs, where kidneys get swapped between multiple donor and recipient pairs to ensure everyone gets a compatible organ. The University of Michigan donor clinic has been described as incredibly supportive, patient, and thorough in answering every question.
How the Donation Process Works
If you’re interested in being evaluated as a potential donor, the process starts simple. You call the University of Michigan donor hotline at 1-800-333-9013 or fill out their online donor applicant form, mentioning Iggy or Matthew M Kowalski as the recipient. The clinic strongly recommends calling directly rather than just submitting the form, as some applicants have been lost in the system waiting for callbacks that never came.
Once you contact them, they’ll ask some basic medical questions and arrange for a blood test at a location near you. You won’t need to travel to Ann Arbor for initial screening. They’ll test your kidney function, blood type, tissue type, and collect other relevant health data. After reviewing those results, they’ll discuss whether you can move forward and what the next steps would be.
The clinic’s job is protecting both the donor and recipient. They will not allow you to donate if it poses any significant risk to your health. Many people are born with just one kidney and live completely normal lives, so donating one of yours doesn’t mean you’re doomed to kidney problems. But the medical team takes the screening seriously to ensure donors stay healthy long-term.
Who Is Iggy
Matthew Iggy Kowalski spent years as one of the lead playtesters for Blue Prince, helping developer Tonda Ros refine the game’s intricate puzzle systems and hidden secrets. Blue Prince is an architectural puzzle adventure about exploring a mansion with ever-shifting rooms, trying to find a rumored 46th room. The game received critical acclaim when it launched, with reviewers comparing it to 2024’s Animal Well as an interactive nest of mysteries.
Ros spent eight years developing Blue Prince as a solo project, often working from the moment he woke up until he went to sleep. Having dedicated playtesters like Iggy was crucial to ensuring the game’s complex web of puzzles and secrets worked properly. Iggy’s contributions helped shape one of 2025’s most interesting indie games, and now the community he’s part of is trying to help him in return.
Community Response
The Reddit post about Iggy’s situation on November 8, 2025 received over 1,800 upvotes and 100 comments, with many users expressing support and asking questions about the donation process. Iggy himself joined the thread to answer questions, thank people for spreading awareness, and provide details about how potential donors can get involved.
One particularly touching comment came from a user who noted they’d been seeing ads featuring Iggy and his fursona on FurAffinity for weeks, making the connection between the Blue Prince community and other online spaces where Iggy has been reaching out. The gaming community, furry community, and puzzle game enthusiasts are all coming together to amplify his message and hopefully find a donor.
The Reality of Kidney Disease
Polycystic kidney disease affects roughly 600,000 people in the United States alone. It’s one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, yet many people have never heard of it until it affects someone they know. The disease progressively destroys kidney function over time, eventually requiring either dialysis or transplant to survive.
The national organ donation system is overwhelmed with need. As of 2025, over 90,000 people in the United States are waiting for kidney transplants, but only about 25,000 kidney transplants happen each year. The math is brutal. People die waiting. That’s why living donation is so important. It’s the only way many patients like Iggy can survive.
How to Help Beyond Donation
Not everyone can donate a kidney, whether due to their own health conditions, personal circumstances, or simply not being a match. But there are other ways to help. Sharing Iggy’s story on social media, in Discord servers, on forums, or anywhere else increases the chances that someone who can donate will see it. The more people who know, the better the odds of finding a match.
Iggy has set up multiple ways to reach him if you want more information or have questions. You can contact him on Discord as iggydinosaur, via email at iggyneedsakidney@umich.edu, through Telegram, or by phone and text at 1-734-765-8833. He’s made himself accessible because he understands people will have concerns and questions before making such a significant decision.
FAQs
Who is Iggy?
Matthew Iggy Kowalski was one of the lead playtesters for Blue Prince, the critically acclaimed puzzle game released in April 2025. He has polycystic kidney disease and needs a living kidney donor within months to survive.
What is polycystic kidney disease?
Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic condition where cysts grow all over the kidneys, making them enlarge while their function decreases. It eventually leads to complete kidney failure without treatment, requiring either dialysis or transplant.
How can I help if I want to donate?
Call the University of Michigan donor hotline at 1-800-333-9013 and mention Iggy or Matthew M Kowalski as the recipient. You can also fill out their online donor form, but calling is recommended as it’s more direct.
Do I need to be a blood type match to donate?
No, thanks to paired donation programs where multiple donor and recipient pairs swap kidneys simultaneously. Even if you’re not a direct match for Iggy, your donation could trigger a chain that gets him a compatible kidney.
Is kidney donation safe?
The University of Michigan donor clinic will not allow you to donate unless it’s safe for you to do so. Many people are born with just one kidney and live normal, healthy lives. The clinic thoroughly screens every potential donor.
Does the donor have to pay for anything?
No, the entire procedure is covered by insurance and assistance programs. Donors may also be eligible for reimbursement of travel and lodging expenses related to the donation process.
Where is the transplant surgery performed?
The surgery would happen at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Initial screening including blood tests can be done near your location, so you won’t need to travel until later in the process if you’re approved as a donor.
What is Blue Prince?
Blue Prince is a puzzle adventure game about exploring a mansion with shifting rooms, trying to find a mysterious 46th room. Developed over eight years by Tonda Ros, it launched in April 2025 to critical acclaim.
Conclusion
The gaming community often comes together for charity streams, fundraisers, and awareness campaigns, but this situation is different. Money can’t solve Iggy’s problem. Only another human being making the choice to donate can save his life. It’s asking for something much more personal and significant than a donation to a GoFundMe. But that’s exactly why the response has been so powerful. People who’ve played Blue Prince, enjoyed the puzzle community Iggy was part of, or simply heard his story are stepping up to at least get evaluated. Even if most potential donors won’t be compatible matches, each person who tries increases the odds through paired donation chains. If you’re reading this and thinking about whether you could help, visit iggyland.org for all the information. Talk to the donor clinic. Ask every question you have. They exist to make sure donation is safe for you while also giving people like Iggy a chance at life. The Blue Prince took eight years to create, with countless hours of testing and refinement from people like Iggy who believed in the project. Now it’s the community’s turn to help him. Time is running out, but there’s still time. If you can’t donate, share his story. Someone in your network might be the match that saves his life.