02/24/2022
Dear Family and Friends,
As some of you may already know, and for some of you this may come as a bit of a surprise, but back in October 2021, I was diagnosed with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
For the time being, I am doing okay. Luckily, so far I am not experiencing many of the symptoms that accompany CKD such as nausea, feeling fatigued, having headaches, difficulty sleeping and losing my appetite. But I have been forewarned that I will feel okay---until I don’t. In the meantime, I am taking very good care of myself, eating a kidney healthy diet, getting lots of rest, and staying hydrated.
Currently, I am not yet on dialysis, but as the disease progresses and my body moves into Kidney Failure, dialysis becomes my only option for survival. Dialysis will be a huge change of life for me, as I will not be able to travel as much as I’m used to doing now – both professionally and personally. While the plan is for me to do peritoneal dialysis at home, it will make traveling far distances super inconvenient. In addition, dialysis is not a one-to-one replacement for normal kidney function, and it is not sustainable long term. Therefore, I need a new kidney. I am on the National Kidney Donor list, yet that list moves very slowly and can be up to an eight-year wait. That is why I am sending out this very personal plea to consider becoming a living donor. The possibility of being a match is the possibility of saving my life.
I am so grateful that I have cleared all evaluations and have been accepted for a kidney transplant. I am listed with the Hartford Hospital Transplant Program and the national lists of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). Because of the ongoing shortage of donor organs in this country, and especially donors of color, the waiting list is very very long. I am working closely with my transplant coordinator and outreach teams which all advise that a Living Donor is a best-case scenario for me. I need to find someone who is willing to donate a Kidney. I need you.
