GREENFIELD — The holidays are around the corner and apparel, gift cards and electronics are expected to top the list of presents exchanged during the season of giving. But local business owner Jeremy Goldsher hopes for something a little more substantial: the gift of life.

The co-founder of Greenspace CoWork was diagnosed in June with end-stage renal disease, a result of the genetic autoimmune disorder IgA nephropathy, or IgAN. His kidneys are functioning at 5% capacity and he started dialysis through a chest catheter a few weeks ago. But dialysis is not a long-term solution and the 34-year-old is appealing to his community to try to find a living donor to save his life in the next six to 12 months.

“There’s nothing more meaningful to someone in my position than a person willing to go through that process, to be screened, to even be willing to consider giving up an organ,” he said. “Giving up a kidney has very little effect on your overall lifestyle and longevity. And you only need one to survive.”

The emergency situation drove this ordinarily humble man to take to social media to share his story. His post was picked up and shared in an e-newsletter by the Greenfield Business Association, where he sits on the board of directors. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming Goldsher’s living donor can visit mghlivingdonors.org and provide his information — Jeremy Goldsher, date of birth 02/25/1989, patient of Massachusetts General Hospital — when prompted.

“I’m not asking for people to specifically donate to me. I want people to educate themselves and consider donating on behalf of all people who are suffering,” Goldsher said. “There’s a lot of other people who do not have the ability to step forward or have the background of community outreach that I have or the network that I have.”

Goldsher is the son of Dr. Steven Goldsher, a periodontist with an office on High Street. In 2017, the family purchased the Arts Block and created the multifunctional hub the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, a nod to the retailer that occupied the downtown space in the 1800s. The building now also houses Greenspace CoWork, a community-based work space Jeremy Goldsher started with Jeff Sauser, on the third floor.

“Because of this [health issue], I have had the opportunity to see the world in shades that were previously invisible to me. You become the bearer of stories. Everyone around you is dealing with something quietly, and we just don’t realize it,” Goldsher said. “And when you have something like this happen to you and you come forward, other people feel confident enough to start to share their stories and it’s amazing what your neighbor might be experiencing in silence that you are not aware of. And I feel incredibly honored and blessed to be able to hold space for these stories and to be in a position where I can educate myself and then share these stories in a revised fashion that can help educate others and hopefully alleviate their situation or cause them ... to go and get tested.

“I have to say, when you invest yourself into the community and then something like this happens, it comes back to you,” he added. “I have received tenfold what I’ve put into the world and I am so thankful that I chose to invest my time in life in the way that I have. It’s made the dark times survivable, manageable.”

‘A tiny puncture in a tire’

Goldsher, who moved to Ashfield during the pandemic, said he has displayed symptoms of IgAN for six or seven years but was not properly diagnosed until June. He said he has quietly battled fatigue, body aches, weight fluctuation, gout attacks and nausea.

“Not many people know this but if you had seen me after shows or after programming here, you might have seen me kind of quietly walk away and then start limping. I was really in a lot of pain for a long time, but I just thought it was gout. My grandfather had gout — it just added up.”

But he did not learn about his reality until he was camping in New Hampshire and received a call about blood testing results from his doctor’s office. He went to the emergency room at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and expected to stay a few hours, though he did not leave for three weeks.

“A lot of this process has been learning about the insidious nature of kidney disease, which is often called ‘the invisible killer,’” Goldsher said, “and how little spotlight we place on it in our community, amongst all the other diseases that are out there, but how really critical the kidney is to a lot of our functions and how many of us are experiencing some form of kidney disease or failure without ever realizing it.”

He said he hopes his story will convince people to better listen to their bodies and get examined by medical professionals.

Goldsher wanted to avoid dialysis but now finds himself waking up at 4 a.m. three days a week to get to Fresenius Kidney Care Hampshire County in Northampton at 5:30 a.m. and stay hooked up to a machine for four hours. Dialysis helps the body remove extra fluid and waste products from the blood when a person’s kidneys are unable to.

“My situation, IgAN, is very common. A lot of us deal with it unbeknownst to ourselves,” he said. “The way I think about it is a tiny puncture in a tire, and it slowly leaks out throughout your lifetime. ... In some folks, for one reason or another, genetic or otherwise, it … comes to fruition in a very serious way.”

He also said if he gets a kidney transplant he will likely have to go through this entire process twice more in his life, starting in about 20 years.

Holiday spirit

Hawks & Reed plans to hold its annual Greenfield Holiday Pop-Up Market across the street at the Pushkin Gallery at 4 Federal St. on Dec. 8, 9 and 10. Dr. Steven Goldsher said there will be more than 30 vendors, likely live music and possibly some other performers.

Dr. Goldsher said the event typically also serves as a fundraiser for a charity. Warm the Children has been a previous beneficiary. This year, the Goldshers have chosen to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation “because of the unique circumstances that we find ourselves in.”

There will also be a Hanukkah charity show on Dec. 8 featuring the all-Jewish lineup of the Eleanor Levine Band, Sasha KA Trio and Niagara Moon. There will also be a menorah lighting. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and there is a suggested donation of $10 to $20. Proceeds also go to the National Kidney Foundation.

Dr. Goldsher said his family has been overwhelmed by the support received since Jeremy went public about his health problems.

“I would say that the outpouring has been incredible,” he said, adding that people have told him they got screened for donation as soon as they learned the news. “There can’t be any greater act of charity than giving an organ that saves their life. ”

Jeremy mentioned he has recently heard from classmates and friends he hasn’t seen in years.

For more information, email Goldsher at jgoldsher@gmail.com or visit the National Kidney Foundation’s website at kidney.org.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.