Hello, my name is Joseph Hickman, and I am 41 years old. A little over a year ago, I received news that would turn my life upside down. I was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease.

What is hardest is that I did not see it coming. I was at a routine dental appointment when they noticed my blood pressure was extremely high. That single moment, something I never thought would be serious, led to a cascade of hospital visits, lab work, and finally, the devastating diagnosis. It was a quiet kind of heartbreak. I left that doctor’s office with a different future than the one I had planned.

But if there is one thing I have learned, it is how to keep going, because I have had to my whole life.

I was raised by a strong single mother who gave everything she had to keep us safe. From an early age, I stepped up to help her raise my two younger sisters. We did not have much, but we had each other. I learned early what it means to be dependable, to sacrifice, to carry weight that most kids my age did not even understand.

Now, even as I face this illness, that role has not changed, I am still a caregiver for my mother, my sisters and my nephews. I am doing my best to keep their lives stable, hopeful, and full of love, even while my own health becomes harder to manage each day. They are my light and my reason for fighting.

Living with kidney failure has forced me to make serious lifestyle changes. I take multiple medications every single day just to function. I follow an extremely strict diet low in sodium, carefully balanced in nutrients, and while it is saving my life, it's also painfully expensive. Healthy food, doctor visits, lab work, and prescription costs are adding up faster than I can keep up with. Even with all I am doing, I know I will eventually need a transplant to survive.

But out of all this pain, a new purpose has taken root.

This diagnosis made me realize how little awareness there is, especially in underserved communities about kidney health, blood pressure, and the impact of diet. My condition is large genetic, yes, but I still wonder: “What if I had known sooner?” What if someone had come into my school or community when I was a kid and taught me about the dangers of high-sodium foods? What if someone had said, “Take care of your body now, it matters.”

I cannot go back and change my story. But I can help change someone else’s.

That is why I am sharing my story and launching this campaign, not only to help with my mounting medical and living expenses, but also to create an initiative focused on educating youth about kidney health and nutrition. I want to reach young people, for all communities, and help them understand how vital these things are early in life. Even just one conversation could plant a seed that saves a life years down the line.

I am posting this on fundraising and nonprofit organization websites in the hope that my voice will be heard, not just by those who can give, but by those who care. Your support, in any form, means I can continue to fight; not only for myself, but for my nephews, my community, and every young person who has not yet learned what I had to find out too late.

Whether it is a donation, a share, or just a prayer, I thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for seeing me. And thank you for helping me turn my struggle into a mission that matters.

With love and gratitude,

Joseph Hickman