Donate to DJ Riddell's Kidney Transplant Journey

Hello, my name is Daulton, but I go by DJ. I am 23 years old and a graduate student at Saint Vincent College. I am working towards my master's degree in Criminology, Law and Society, with hopes of realizing my lifelong goal of becoming a law enforcement officer.

In April of this year (2024), I came home and went to my P.C.P. to get a physical because I had lost so much weight, had no appetite, was constantly fatigued, etc. The end result was that the day after my physical, I was advised to go to an emergency room ASAP because the blood work was indicating kidney failure. While in the hospital, I was told by my Nephrology team that I was in stage 5 renal failure and would need a kidney transplant. Needless to say, my family and I were in shock. I was lucky to be able to have a Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter put in place for PD Dialysis while in the hospital. Within a week, my whole life had changed. I now do dialysis 7 nights a week for around 10-11 hours. While dialysis has made a huge difference in my life, limiting such things as time I am able to spend with family and friends, how many and what hours I can work, what physical activities I can do, etc., I am not bitter because dialysis is keeping me alive.

In high school, I was a member of both the wrestling and football teams for four years. In college, I was a member of the football team, playing on the defensive line. Currently, I'm serving as an assistant defensive line coach for Saint Vincent College's football team.

I am staying positive and praying for a kidney so that I can get my stamina and physical strength back and start to truly live my best life. While I am blessed to be able to have many of my medical bills covered by my mother's medical insurance, I will still be incurring bills which I will have to pay out of pocket and will be aging out of her coverage. Additionally, due to the time I need to dedicate to my dialysis, I am unable to work the number of hours needed to cover my daily expenses, such as rent, food, car insurance, gas, electric, student loans, etc. I have to travel twice a month (250 miles each way) to my Fresenius Center to meet with my nephrology team and to have blood work and other levels evaluated which obviously cost money and also time. Lastly, I am working hard to "campaign" for a living donor and will be in need of some funds to pay for such things as banners, bumper stickers, flyers, etc.

I am asking for your assistance in raising the funds needed so that I can successfully navigate my path to finding a kidney. The funds will be utilized mostly for out-of-pocket medical expenses, awareness campaigns, travel expenses, and everyday expenses which cannot be covered at this point due to my limited working ability. Any donation is appreciated and will be responsibly used.

https://nkr.org/ZCG697

Thank you and God Bless

DJ Riddell