Erik James Somerville

Hello! My name is Erik Somerville. I am a 44-year-old Deaf man originally from Bridgeport, CT, who currently lives in Columbia, SC. I am a big fan of cooking, playing video games, and traveling whenever I can. My kidney disease journey started when I made a big move from Bridgeport, CT, to York, PA, in 2021 to live with my fiancée. I thought I was homesick at the time, but it turnt out to be COVID. I ended up in the hospital because of how sick I was with COVID. During my hospital stay, I found out that I have stage 4 kidney disease due to years of not taking care of my diabetes and high blood pressure. This new diagnosis made me feel hurt and sad. I never thought I’d go through something like this.

A few months later, I visited a vascular surgeon to schedule surgery for a dialysis access procedure. I started dialysis on May 16th, 2022, and have been on it for almost 4 years. I had a kidney transplant evaluation in PA, where I was told that I didn’t qualify. My weight, my high blood pressure, and uncontrollable diabetes disqualified me. This made me realize how bad I had gotten and that if I continued down this path of ignoring my health, I would not be alive for much longer. This made me get serious about showing the doctors, and more importantly, myself, that I wanted to get my health issues under control. I got weight loss surgery, which has eliminated my diabetes, stabilized my blood pressure, and helped me lose weight.

A year after getting this surgery, I relocated to Columbia, SC. I am under the care of the kidney transplant team at Prisma Health – Greenville, SC. My position on the transplant list is closer to the top because of how long I have been on dialysis. This means I will get a new kidney in no time! I have discussed with my personal caregivers how much money we would need to raise to cover expenses. My health insurance under Medicare is only willing to cover the surgery and SOME of my post-surgery medications. The expenses are for transportation, medication, food, and my home bills, since I will not be able to work for a few months while I recover. Every little bit of your donation will be appreciated. If you want information on how to become a kidney donor or how to start the process to see if you are a match for me, please get in touch with me directly, as I can provide that information. Updates will be provided as I continue this kidney disease/transplant journey! Share this fundraiser as much as you can – SPREAD THE WORD! Thank you, and god bless y’all!!