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"Shawnice, where are you? You are dying and need to get to the hospital.” These were the exact words that my doctor said to me when she called me at work to tell me the results of testing on Dec 2, 2011. My kidney function was at 8 %--you start dialysis when it is at 10%. After getting to the hospital, I found out that I had End Stage Renal Disease –Stage 4 brought on by hypertension. I had two back to back surgeries to put in a temporary port in my chest and a stomach port so that I could begin dialysis.
I chose the peritoneal dialysis method so that I could still attend work , school and maintain some control and independence, especially to help my daughter who suffers with Sickle Cell Anemia Disease. After 8 months I became ill due to peritonitis, which disrupted my digestive system and I had to have another surgery to have a fistula inserted into my arm so that I could have hemo dialysis. I now go to a dialysis center three times a week to have toxins removed from my body for a period of three and half hours--I do this while still working a full time job.
I have been on dialysis for 4 years and have been on the transplant list for 3 years. Fortunately, I have been moved up on the list and have been called twice. The first kidney was out of the body to long and the surgeons didn’t want to risk it, the second time, the donor was high risk and I wasn’t willing to risk it.
While this is good news that my time is near, it is also stressful due to the fact that I know that I can not afford the medication that I will need to take for the rest of my life once I get the transplant. Without these medications, I will not survive the transplant. You have to take immunosuppressant’s to prevent kidney rejection as well as medicine to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. These medications cost up to $30,000 per year and health insurance only covers half of that.
Please help me raise the funds needed for me to be able to afford the life saving kidney transplant and post translant medications.
Your support and generosity mean so much to me.
Thank you,
Shawnice
I chose the peritoneal dialysis method so that I could still attend work , school and maintain some control and independence, especially to help my daughter who suffers with Sickle Cell Anemia Disease. After 8 months I became ill due to peritonitis, which disrupted my digestive system and I had to have another surgery to have a fistula inserted into my arm so that I could have hemo dialysis. I now go to a dialysis center three times a week to have toxins removed from my body for a period of three and half hours--I do this while still working a full time job.
I have been on dialysis for 4 years and have been on the transplant list for 3 years. Fortunately, I have been moved up on the list and have been called twice. The first kidney was out of the body to long and the surgeons didn’t want to risk it, the second time, the donor was high risk and I wasn’t willing to risk it.
While this is good news that my time is near, it is also stressful due to the fact that I know that I can not afford the medication that I will need to take for the rest of my life once I get the transplant. Without these medications, I will not survive the transplant. You have to take immunosuppressant’s to prevent kidney rejection as well as medicine to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. These medications cost up to $30,000 per year and health insurance only covers half of that.
Please help me raise the funds needed for me to be able to afford the life saving kidney transplant and post translant medications.
Your support and generosity mean so much to me.
Thank you,
Shawnice