Denver attorney had son with kidney to spare: Crosby, stills & nash to perform at benefit concert for American transplant foundation.

• Author: Cote, Mike
• Position: COTE'S [colorado]

While many of us struggle to choose the perfect Father's Day present this month, Steve Farber's eldest son likely won't be worrying about whether he picked the right golf shirt or tennis racket.

How can you top yourself in the gift department when your dad is walking around with one of your kidneys?

After the Denver attorney discovered he was battling kidney failure five years ago, he began a race to find an organ donor, an odyssey that would have him seriously considering flying to Turkey for a transplant.

Farber ultimately looked to his own family.

"I started deteriorating a lot quicker than we had anticipated," said Farber, a namesake of the high-profile law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. "My oldest son, Gregg, came to me and said, 'Look, Dad, I want to be your donor.' And I went through a very difficult period of time. Nobody wants to subject their child to, No, 1, surgery, No. 2, giving up an organ. And even if it means your life."

It did mean his life. It just took a while for Farber to accept it.

"I really was left with no choice over a period of another few months," said Farber, 63. "I went back to my son and said, 'Gregg, are you still there for me?' And he said, 'Dad, look. If you ask me if I just wanted to have surgery, the answer would be no. If you ask me whether I want to give up an organ, the answer would be no. But the question is do I want to do those things to save your life. That's a pretty easy answer."'

About 2 1/2 years after surgery, Farber enjoys good health, though he must take immunosuppressants for the rest of his life. And while he may be best known these days for helping to bring the Democratic National Convention to Denver (see story on page 20), he's been fundraising lately for another cause: the American Transplant Foundation, the nonprofit he founded.

"I said if I make it through this, then I have more to do," Farber said. "That's to try to create a greater awareness about transplantation, whether it be kidneys, livers, hearts or lungs."

Denver concert promoter Chuck Morris, Farber's long-time friend and client, is bringing Crosby, Stills & Nash to town on June 26 for a concert that will benefit the foundation. (Visit...