I need a new kidney!

I need a new kidney which is way better than the one I just modeled. **The model is a joke, the request is serious. **

We discovered my kidney disease, IgA Nephropathy, 16 years ago. At the time it was pretty benign and we spent years taking action to try and slow it's progress. This included various medications and a change in diet. As the years went on the disease slowly degraded my kidneys. We tried 2 different high dose steroid treatments that were both horrible experiences but may have helped slow things down for a time.

Two years ago in 2019, my numbers creeped downward and so I went down to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago to start the preliminary steps for kidney transplant as well as learning more about it. A few months later my kidney function crossed below the 20% threshold resulting in me being officially added to the transplant wait list. It’s important to get on it as soon as possible because the wait time for a deceased donor is 6-8 years, in the Chicagoland area.

So, being on the transplant list isn’t enough to get approval for a transplant, however. Once my kidney function drops to 15%, or below, I will qualify for the funding that will cover the cost of the transplant. If I had a living donor available, the surgery could happen in a fairly short time frame rather than waiting the remaining portion of the 6-8 years for a deceased one.

In November 2020 my kidney function started to go down again. In December and January, my numbers dropped to 19% and now 17% kidney function. At the current rate of decline, I will likely hit 15% in 4-6 weeks. So it appears that the day is imminently approaching, and I am anxious about its implications.Currently I still feel okay, so even if a matching donor is not found right away, I will be able to avoid needing dialysis initially.

I know there were a few amazingly generous people who registered back in 2019 when I first got on the list, but I don’t know if those individuals are currently able/willing/available to donate, or if they are a good match. So I think it’s time to ask again: If you would consider donating a kidney, please learn more about the process at the first link below and register at the second link below.

For more information: https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/organ-transplantation/kidney-transplantation?fbclid=IwAR0lb9ey42CFxSo9y4iGOcex1xplZZyvVxEOBoEE4-r0q5fpXnE6vxdlBXQ.

If you are interested in finding out if you could be a donor, start the process here: http://nmlivingdonor.org/ (private message me for addition information needed to complete the form)