A Transplant for Tara - Kidney Version

02/24/2026

Hello! It has been quite awhile and I wanted to give an update on how things are.

In mid-November I started dialysis, gradually switching to using a cycler machine. The dialysis itself is going okay, but my body is having a real difficult time adjusting to it.
Since December I have been experiencing being lightheaded and dizzy, having weakness in my arms and legs and being even more tired than I was before. These symptoms have continued to get worse to the point where if I stood up for over a minute or two I would throw up.
Speaking to my nephrology team and also visiting my family doctor revealed that my electrolytes were very low, as was my blood pressure. I was also dehydrated from the amount of fluid being pulled during dialysis.
I have since been eating to try and raise my potassium and sodium levels and also trying to adjust my dialysate strengths to also help with the electrolytes and blood pressure.
After having another rough day today, I know that I have not yet gotten this figured out, so I need to keep trying to balance things.
I have spent the last two months essentially not being able to do anything and it is beginning to wear on me some days. I have hardly been out of the house and when I have been a lot of the time I am on the cusp of either throwing up or blacking out. Not a fun situation to be in.
Anyhow, I persevere.
I am still looking for that perfect donor match. Please consider being a donor and please share this so that my perfect match might see it.

Thank you. 💜

11/15/2025

Earlier this week my lab results came back indicating that my kidney function was now at 5%. Consultation indicated that it was time to start dialysis.
Today I went to the hospital to have my peritoneal catheter port removed from my abdomen and prepped for use. On Monday I will begin dialysis training at the hospital. Once trained I will be completing dialysis 4 times per day at home, taking approximately 40-60 minutes at a time and then also overnight.
Conversation again centered around dialysis being a treatment for my kidney failure, but transplant being the most optimal for length and quality of life.
I am feeling a bit sore from the incision, but mostly just trying to wrap my head around these big changes swiftly occurring for me now.
Please consider being a donor and please share.
Thanks for reading.

10/14/2025

Because I have high antibodies, Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) will be my most likely way of receiving a compatible donation from a living donor. With KPD a person with ANY blood type can volunteer to be my donor within the Kidney Paired Donation.

Canadian Blood Services describes a paired exchange like this:

“Imagine you want to donate one of your kidneys to a family member or a friend who needs a transplant.

However, medical tests show that you are not a good match for them. Another potential donor and their transplant candidate are in the same situation.

Turns out you are a match for the transplant candidate in the other pair, and the potential donor in that pair is a match for your friend or family member.

Swapping donors in these two pairs makes two transplants possible.”

These exchanges can be matched just between the 2 pairs (4 people) or between multiple pairs (many people).

It results in your one kidney donation having a domino effect and you actually saving the lives of multiple people.

I've included a link to a page that includes helpful video details to explain more about this option.

https://www.blood.ca/en/organs-tissues/living-organ-donation/my-paired-donation-coach-canada

Send a message to learn more

09/21/2025

Being a living donor can literally save someone’s life!
As of December 31, 2024, there were 4044 Canadians on a wait-list for a kidney donor. There were over 200 people removed from the list due to death while waiting for a kidney transplant. Average wait times for a deceased-donor kidney transplant can be several years.
Context & Challenges
High Demand:
There is a significant need for kidney transplants, with more than 4,000 Canadians needing a new organ at any given time.
Hard-to-Match Patients: (this is me)
Approximately 20% of people waiting for a kidney are "hard-to-match" (highly sensitized), meaning they are compatible with very few potential donors.
Interprovincial Cooperation: (this is the best option for me)
Initiatives like the Kidney Paired Donation (KPD) program and the Highly Sensitized Patient (HSP) program connect donors and recipients across provincial borders to increase matching opportunities. This requires not only someone who is willing to be a live kidney donor, but it also is contingent on them being willing to participate in the Kidney Paired Program. This opens up greater possibilities of finding a match for a hard to match patient, like me! You do not need to have the same blood type as me to be in the KPD program, so if you tried to become a donor before and were told your blood type didn’t match, this is still a possibility for you!
Public Disconnect:
While 90% of Canadians support organ donation, only a fraction (around 32%) have registered their decision to become donors, creating a gap between public approval and registration rates. Even LESS people (

09/15/2025

09/12/2025

PLEASE SHARE It is SO important that this gets to as many people as possible.

I have been mulling over my most recent news for almost a week, trying to figure out how to put it into words, and then my sister posted this yesterday. I thought it was a good starting point, so I am reposting it. There is some colourful language in it, but that is just an indication of the strong emotions that she (and I) are feeling right now. I will make another post later next week to outline what my best options are, but for now, know that the more people who are willing to be tested to see if they might be a match for me, the better my chances are of finding someone. I appreciate everyone who has, is, or is now considering trying to be my living donor. You all keep my hopes up. 💚

Send a message to learn more

08/21/2025

Today, after another specialist appointment, it has been concluded that I caught a virus earlier this summer, and because I am immunocompromised, the virus set up shop in my right ear and I was unable to fight it off. As a result, I now have about 50% hearing loss in my right ear, which is expected to be permanent. Sigh. Good news is that a hearing aid should help. Of course, if I could find one with glitter or sparkles that would be best!

Send a message to learn more

07/11/2025

Today I can see that over 35,000 people have seen my most recent post in search of a kidney donor. I have to remain hopeful that one of those 35,000 people is that special person who is selfless enough to step forward and volunteer to see if they could be a potential match as a kidney donor for me. If I don't get a volunteer they take me out of the transplant system and then dialysis becomes my only hope of survival.
I have to remain hopeful, because otherwise I am just scared. Scared of my health declining even more, scared that I will be unable to visit my children if I am to rely on a machine to keep me alive, as they do not live close to me. And yes, scared of dying.
Please continue to share my information. And please consider being a potential donor.
*****I have included the details for who to contact if you are wanting to see if you might be a donor match in the comments of this post.

07/04/2025

****PLEASE SHARE****
Hello everyone!
Thank you to those of you who have reached out about donating a kidney to me. Unfortunately, I am still looking for a kidney donor match! I had previously said that you need to have O+ blood. However, I have learned that any blood type may be a potential donor using the paired donor program.

If you want to be a kidney donor, now is your chance! My kidney function continues to worsen, and I am really hoping to find a living donor before having to go on dialysis, though that may no longer be possible. Please reach out to the kidney transplant program (information in QR code) or to myself with any questions. Thank you.
**If you are having trouble accessing the QR code information I have added the info as a comment in this post.

04/14/2025

Well, I have discovered another side effect of having chronic kidney disease. Hair loss. For now, if I have my hair down I don't think it is that obvious, but if I were to have my hair up you would see that the whole right side from below my ear and down has decided to disappear. I guess it will be nice and cool for summer...

03/24/2025

PLEASE share. Might you have considered being my kidney donor, but then thought you couldn't be because you didn't have type O blood? Read about the Kidney Paired Donation Program to see how you could still help me get a new kidney!

 Kidney paired donation is a program that matches transplant candidates with suitable living donors. It gives people the chance to become a living kidney donor while ensuring that someone they want to help receives a needed kidney, even if they are not a direct match. Canada’s Kidney Paired Dona...