Norma Angelica Villegas is only 24 years-old, and she desperately needs a lifesaving kidney transplant in order to survive. When Norma was only 16, she was diagnosed with a serious medical condition, known as lupus. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks your own organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems; including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. In 2011, Norma’s lupus attacked her kidneys and caused her to go into kidney failure, or end-stage-renal disease. Around this time, Norma also began to experience seizure doctors as a result of a blood clot, as well as muscle spasms, weakness and severe pain on a daily basis.

Since 2011, Norma has been undergoing a strict regimen hemodialysis treatments three days per week. These treatments take almost four hours, but are only temporary. Without a lifesaving kidney transplant, Norma will eventually run out of options and her time will quickly run out! Norma was recently married and more than ever she would like to one day start a family. A kidney transplant is her best option at living a normal life, regaining her independence and one day even having a child of her own. Without a transplant, Norma will grow more sick in time, be unable to travel, and continue to rely on dialysis in order to survive. Norma’s ultimate goal is to return to school to further her education, one day even return to work, and live the life she should be living at her young age.