Hi,

My name is Stacey Lee Dixon. I am a disabled single father of 6 children. I am 50 years old having been born November 9, 1974, in Greensboro, NC. My father left the home when I was a year old. I was reared by my single mother into my teen years. I was shielded from my paternal family during these years. My father, unbeknownst to me, passed my senior year of high school. I never was afforded the opportunity to reunite with him.

Just 4 short years later, when I was 21, I suffered a severe gout flare which started my medical journey. I was sent to a rheumatologist that “practiced” medicine on me for over 3 years with little results other than putting me on prednisone and giving me cortisone shots for joint pain. I switched doctors to a local clinic where a PA actually tried to help me. They did tests, found I had high BP, and began treating that as well as attempting to calm my gout flares. Unfortunately, during this period, prednisone had done its damage to my bones as well, giving me blinding cataracts in both eyes by the age of 32. When my blood pressure advanced and nodules from gout started advancing, my physician started looking into test trials near me to better understand what was going on (he had suspicions it was my kidneys). We found a DNA test trial for Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease at Wake Forest. By this time, I was using a cane to walk with; my knees and ankles hurt so bad. When the test came back, I was positive for the markers; they said it came from my father. Now I had a name for my troubles.

Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease… This genetic paternal nemesis was slowly solidifying my kidneys, slowly filling my blood with toxins that attack my heart, my joints, and my brain.

Here is a timeline for my ailments:

First gout attack - age 21 - right ankle

High blood pressure - age 27 - 210/87

Left hand surgery - age 30 - carpal tunnel calcification

Bilateral IOL transplant - age 32 - from prescribed corticosteroid use for gout

Bilateral TKR joint replacement - age 40 - osteoarthritis, joint damage due to gout

For the past 30 years, I have lived in constant pain, tried every drug, ate every diet, followed every order from every doctor, and endured ridicule from employers, friends, even my wife saying I was putting on a show, and if I was that bad off, I would try to get help or go to a different doctor and so on. As far as my joint pain is concerned, it will never get better. My nerve pain will always remain constant. With all of that being said, there is a larger problem. I am in stage 5 renal failure. My kidney function is under 15%. I have an opportunity right now to change the remaining years of my life. I can be put on dialysis, which gives me 5-7 years, give or take, or get a transplant, which can give me possibly 20+ more years.

I am an active single father raising 3 children, the youngest 2 being 8 and 10, the oldest is 16. I do not wish their childhood memories of me being on dialysis, unable to share their childhood experiences or enjoy their company due to exhaustion. I have worked really hard to create a homestead where my children have a safe and permanent place to grow and learn in peace.

Please read on, it does get better… I have 2 possible living donors, my son Stephen and my daughter Brittany have both offered (I must have not been too horrible as a dad). My insurance will cover both surgeries 100% , BUT there is a catch… there is always a catch.

The catch is pretty significant. My son, daughter, his girlfriend, and myself must remain out of work for up to 4 months. I am on disability already. Stephen is not; he works, and so do Brittany and Adela. Two of us will need around-the-clock care for up to 4 months. This is where we need help. This is going to cause around a $20k deficit between the 2 households for transportation to and from weekly appointments in aftercare, and any bills that may accrue while out of work. None of us work full-time, so insurance won't cover time lost at work. I have hope that a lack of financing doesn’t prematurely separate me from my children. I have been worked up at Duke Transplant Center on the 18th of September 2025. I will post chart photos here later. Our second issue is time; it’s extremely limited. My kidney function is at 10% right now, and I'm doing everything in my power to keep it from dropping and forcing me onto dialysis before a transplant.

I know it’s asking a lot, and I never wanted to be put in this position. I hate asking for help. I have worked since I was 14 years old except for healing time from surgeries. Some are more blessed with close-knit families, some with better communication skills than myself, but this is what I’m capable of. I am doing the leg work; I have been screened for the national registry and other labs soon. I wanted to inform my family first before asking complete strangers to come to my aid. My children are dear to me, and I want to thank you personally for taking the time to read this.

I have 2 more tests before they put me on a national registry. But I’m hoping to not have to worry about that. If you think you can help in any way to spearhead this, it would be a great blessing to me and my family. I know God is going to come through; I just don't know how, but I know he will. I have faith in him.