CRIS IS GETTING A KIDNEY!
Donation protected
"You wont be going home tonight". Those words are still echoing in my ears as if they were just said to me. That moment is when I knew I would have to fight for my life that I used to think I was entitled to.
I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Kidney Failure September 4th 2017. That day I had just come home from a week long vacation where I had run two 5ks, spent 3 days in Disneyland, walked around the parks everyday for 12 hours, and made it home feeling fine. I had a little blister on my ankle from the running but other than that I was my normal self. Once I got home I went to urgent care for what I though was an infected blister. I went in for some antibiotics, and when they checked my blood pressure, it was well above 200/130 (Normal range is no higher than 140/90) They couldn't have cared less about the little blister on my ankle. I was given a blood test right away and the next thing I knew my fiance Mario was calling my parents explaining I was going into kidney failure.
That night is something I will never forget. I was admitted to the hospital and within an hour or so, my entire body had swelled. I was like a balloon that was ready to bust. My skin felt tight and my eye lids were translucent from the extra fluid taking over my body. They sent me into the OR in the middle of the night to have a Dialysis port placed. I didn't even know what the word dialysis meant and I had doctor after doctor, nurse after nurse saying "We'll be putting you on dialysis as soon as you come out"....."okay..?" I thought "but what does that even mean??" I've since become very familiar with what dialysis means...
I've had 3 different operations for 3 different "accesses" one of which was on its way to putting me into septic shock, nearly killed me, and left me with an 8 inch open wound on my lower abdomen that needed to heal from the inside out by using a "Wound-Vac" ( I encourage you look up Wound-Vacs and imagine having that pressure for 24 hrs a day on a wound that is four inches deep on one of the most sensitive spots on your body). The whole time I'm dealing with this wound, at home nurse treatments for dressing changes, and follow up appointments, I had to continue doing four hour long life support dialysis treatments 3 times a week in order to continue to live.
These dialysis treatments often leave me feeling weak and in a fog. I typically fall asleep after each treatment into what I like to call my "dialysis naps". I basically sleep away 3 days of my life every week. The next day after dialysis I wake up feeling like I was run over by a bus and I need a day to rest my body. The following morning I'm finally feeling more normal but it's time to turn around and start all over again for that day's dialysis. It can be a grueling, and dreadful routine. But it's what is needed to keep me here.....or it was......
I'm getting a transplant! While this is by no means a "cure" or end to my battle against my Kidney Disease. It is a treatment that can help get me back to work, back to living life, and as close to normal as possible. The process to getting to this point has been a rocky one. With more highs and lows than the greatest roller coaster. But we're here. We have one last hurdle to get over and I need your help.
My beautiful Aunt Jeri was on a list of possible donors. And after MONTHS of testing, meetings with social workers, trips to hospitals both in Northern and Southern California...and endless labs. She was confirmed as the most qualified donor. We need to get her and her husband out to the Bay Area for the surgery in March. She will also need to stay here in the Bay for a minimum of two weeks after the surgery. (not to mention the days before the surgery where we have the pre-op appointments and final evaluations)
The funds we are asking for will help with:
-Travel costs for them to and from the Bay for the surgery.
-A place to stay, before, during and after the surgery.
-Food while they're here.
-Travel to and from the hospital. (post-op check ups will happen multiple times)
The needs are incredibly basic and I wish more than anything I could give them to her on my own. But this disease isn't a cheap one. This will be my 6th operation in the last year and a half alone, and medical bills are a part of my daily life now. I will also have to take a slew of very expensive medications everyday for the rest of my life in order to keep the kidney from rejecting.
So, with all that said, any additional money that is raised and we don't use will go directly to the National Kidney Foundation . They are the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of patients and their families, and tens of millions of Americans at risk. Any and all donations are welcomed and appreciated more than you can imagine.
Paying with money isn't the only way to pay it forward!
-Please be sure to share this with your friends and family.
-Take yourself and your loved ones to get blood work done and make sure your kidneys are functioning normally.
-See if you are signed up to be an organ donor on your drivers license or ID....
-Consider being a living donor for those in need (blood, platelets, bone marrow, kidney...)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story. I hope with it I can encourage you not to take your life and your health for granted. It's a precious gift, but it can all change in a moment.
I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Kidney Failure September 4th 2017. That day I had just come home from a week long vacation where I had run two 5ks, spent 3 days in Disneyland, walked around the parks everyday for 12 hours, and made it home feeling fine. I had a little blister on my ankle from the running but other than that I was my normal self. Once I got home I went to urgent care for what I though was an infected blister. I went in for some antibiotics, and when they checked my blood pressure, it was well above 200/130 (Normal range is no higher than 140/90) They couldn't have cared less about the little blister on my ankle. I was given a blood test right away and the next thing I knew my fiance Mario was calling my parents explaining I was going into kidney failure.
That night is something I will never forget. I was admitted to the hospital and within an hour or so, my entire body had swelled. I was like a balloon that was ready to bust. My skin felt tight and my eye lids were translucent from the extra fluid taking over my body. They sent me into the OR in the middle of the night to have a Dialysis port placed. I didn't even know what the word dialysis meant and I had doctor after doctor, nurse after nurse saying "We'll be putting you on dialysis as soon as you come out"....."okay..?" I thought "but what does that even mean??" I've since become very familiar with what dialysis means...
I've had 3 different operations for 3 different "accesses" one of which was on its way to putting me into septic shock, nearly killed me, and left me with an 8 inch open wound on my lower abdomen that needed to heal from the inside out by using a "Wound-Vac" ( I encourage you look up Wound-Vacs and imagine having that pressure for 24 hrs a day on a wound that is four inches deep on one of the most sensitive spots on your body). The whole time I'm dealing with this wound, at home nurse treatments for dressing changes, and follow up appointments, I had to continue doing four hour long life support dialysis treatments 3 times a week in order to continue to live.
These dialysis treatments often leave me feeling weak and in a fog. I typically fall asleep after each treatment into what I like to call my "dialysis naps". I basically sleep away 3 days of my life every week. The next day after dialysis I wake up feeling like I was run over by a bus and I need a day to rest my body. The following morning I'm finally feeling more normal but it's time to turn around and start all over again for that day's dialysis. It can be a grueling, and dreadful routine. But it's what is needed to keep me here.....or it was......
I'm getting a transplant! While this is by no means a "cure" or end to my battle against my Kidney Disease. It is a treatment that can help get me back to work, back to living life, and as close to normal as possible. The process to getting to this point has been a rocky one. With more highs and lows than the greatest roller coaster. But we're here. We have one last hurdle to get over and I need your help.
My beautiful Aunt Jeri was on a list of possible donors. And after MONTHS of testing, meetings with social workers, trips to hospitals both in Northern and Southern California...and endless labs. She was confirmed as the most qualified donor. We need to get her and her husband out to the Bay Area for the surgery in March. She will also need to stay here in the Bay for a minimum of two weeks after the surgery. (not to mention the days before the surgery where we have the pre-op appointments and final evaluations)
The funds we are asking for will help with:
-Travel costs for them to and from the Bay for the surgery.
-A place to stay, before, during and after the surgery.
-Food while they're here.
-Travel to and from the hospital. (post-op check ups will happen multiple times)
The needs are incredibly basic and I wish more than anything I could give them to her on my own. But this disease isn't a cheap one. This will be my 6th operation in the last year and a half alone, and medical bills are a part of my daily life now. I will also have to take a slew of very expensive medications everyday for the rest of my life in order to keep the kidney from rejecting.
So, with all that said, any additional money that is raised and we don't use will go directly to the National Kidney Foundation . They are the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals, millions of patients and their families, and tens of millions of Americans at risk. Any and all donations are welcomed and appreciated more than you can imagine.
Paying with money isn't the only way to pay it forward!
-Please be sure to share this with your friends and family.
-Take yourself and your loved ones to get blood work done and make sure your kidneys are functioning normally.
-See if you are signed up to be an organ donor on your drivers license or ID....
-Consider being a living donor for those in need (blood, platelets, bone marrow, kidney...)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story. I hope with it I can encourage you not to take your life and your health for granted. It's a precious gift, but it can all change in a moment.
Organizer and beneficiary
Cris Calonje Carranza
Organizer
Newark, CA
Jeri Miles
Beneficiary