Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults—an estimated thirty-seven million Americans, and sadly it is here that Juliet Durrant’s (aka Eva) story begins. My name is Azaam Alli, and I feel honored and previldged to tell Eva’s story having experienced her daily struggles in battling CKD, and in her spirited determination in getting better. I have known my friend for over 27 years, and even in the face of this horrid disease her sense of humor, infectious smile and bubbly personality are unmistakable.

Eva has a family history of diabetes and related kidney disease which inevitably increased her risk of developing both. Regrettably, she developed both disease states, type 2 diabetes in January 2009, and CKD in late 2020. CKD involves damage to the kidneys which can result in a gradual loss of kidney function over time. Although Eva has maintained a healthy mixture of diet, exercise and medication management, her disease progressed rapidly causing permanent kidney damage, and now requiring a kidney transplant. The great news is that a donor has been identified as a “match” for Eva based on recent results (November 2023) of relevant testing conducted at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fl. I have seen my friend counting her blessings and bursting in emotions, knowing that millions are not as fortunate.

In a recent conversation with Eva, however, I did sense a level of distress and concern which are quite atypical of her persona. After a much-needed candid conversation, I knew my instincts were on point. Eva is in dire need of financial resources required for the procedure, particularly for the post-operative immunosuppressive drug, or antirejection medicine which are inordinately expensive. I remember my friend’s words that day, in her deep Jamaican accent “buoy so close and yet so far”. Eva’s medical insurance will partially cover the procedure, but Mayo Clinic wants to see the necessary funds to cover the medication management in an account prior to scheduling the procedure. At this point I am humbly inviting you to pledge a monetary contribution to Eva’s fund, it is truly in these situations where crowd-funding can prove worthy in changing lives.

Eva hails from humble beginnings, with deep Christian convictions. She is a single mother of three children, Nicholas, Edward and Patricia, all residing in Jacksonville where Eva operates a small mom and pop food business, Eva’s Jamaican Kitchen. Given her current medical condition, which she seldom complains about, it is difficult to imagine how Eva manages to summon her inner spirit and energy to be at work, cooking and serving up iconic Jamaican deliciousness. Nonetheless, she does it day in day out, bubbling with enthusiasm, joy, and the occasional laughter. I know my friend well, she is a people person, caring about providing a meaningful service to patrons. Eva is one tough cookie with some serious grit.

When Eva’s children learnt of the transplant inevitability, they all opted for “match” testing without hesitation. I must admit, I was deeply moved when Eva told me this. At a minimum, it speaks volumes of her dedication to good mothering. To say that these are “good children” would be somewhat of an understatement. They are more deserving of adjectives such as unselfish, self-sacrificing, altruistic, gallant, virtuous, honorable, upright, thoughtful, considerate, kind and dutiful. This is particularly true of Edward. After learning of his testing results being a match, this courageous young man was not only blown away with happiness, but immediately beckoned his willingness to do the procedure without question. Just WOW!!

Although Eva’s mettle is currently being tested, I genuinely believe that her deep faith, her positive demeanor, her innate instinct of bringing out the best in people and seeing the best in people, have allowed her to endure. My friend’s kidney transplant is currently hinged on showing sufficient funds to cover lifesaving post-operative medicine. Please donate to this worthy cause. No donation is too small, the power in our collective efforts can not only change lives, but also remind us of purpose. In closing, I have authored this story in efforts to raise the much-needed funds for Eva, as well as to raise awareness of CKD. Often, CKD does not cause noticeable symptoms until the later stages, so it is possible to have CKD and not know it. Please stay safe and healthy and may God Bless!