Kidney transplant fund; seeking a donor for Erika

Hi, my name is Erika Ballard. I am the mother of my only child, Jadelyn Ballard and I have a small dog, Missy. When I was 16 years old, after a kidney biopsy, I was told that I was heading toward kidney failure. From then on out, I did everything in my power to prolong and preserve my health by taking extra care of my body and being extra cautious about my intake. By the age of 33 years old, I had officially gone into kidney failure. At that point in 2004, I started dialysis, hemodialysis to be exact. If you do not know, hemodialysis is ultimately an artificial kidney (hemodialyzer). This is used to remove waste, toxins, and fluid from the blood. To get the patient’s blood into the artificial kidney, the doctor needs to make an access (entrance) into the patient’s blood vessels. This is done by making a cut in their arm or leg thru a surgical procedure joining an artery to a vein under your skin. This is called a fistula. This is what I have had for the past 18 years. However, I’ve had three fistulas and one graft—two fistulas in my left arm, one fistula and one graft in my right. I have had half a dozen catheters in my neck, including the one in use as of now. A catheter happens to be the first option for dialysis access and the last option. It is a temporary option. It’s time and we are desperate. I am seeking a kidney donor with a B-positive (B+) blood type. Donor match testing is provided for free.

With the transplant, The Mayo Clinic requires patients to have a mandatory amount of funding for post-surgery medicine and testing. Any help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your prayers and donations in advance.