You Can Help Make a Difference

The time has come where I need to ask for help. For the past twenty years, I’ve been battling an incurable chronic kidney disease called IGA nephropathy. This has resulted in the slow deterioration of my kidney filters. I was forced to quit my job in 2013 due to the severity of symptoms of end stage renal failure (stage 5) causing anemia, extreme fatigue, heart palpitations, osteoarthritis, etc. I’ve endured painful complications which have necessitated several trips to the emergency room and 3-4 surgeries a year to open the artery for effective hemodialysis. I currently receive dialysis three times a week, four hours a day.

I’ve been on the kidney transplant waiting list at UCSF Medical Center since 2012 and UC Davis since 2015. A good friend of mine wanted to donate her kidney but our blood types were not compatible. My blood type is A positive. If I am able to find a suitable match, my medical team is confident this surgery is my greatest chance for living a long, healthier life. If you would like to learn more about living kidney donation, please refer to the UCSF and/or UC Davis websites. It has a compilation of information regarding kidney transplantation for donors. Go to https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/living_kidney_donor/index.html .
http://healthydavis.edu/transplant/learn about/learn_living_donor.html
Transplantation is life-saving, but extremely expensive. I felt dismayed after being informed by my financial coordinator that the associated costs include air ambulance fees, prescriptions, living donor expenses, health insurance premiums, and lodging expenses for myself and the living donor, just to name a few. This presents a challenge that I cannot meet alone.