Hi everyone, I'm Ariel Zetina, a DJ and resident of Chicagoland for the past 17 years. I am writing to you all today because I am organizing fundraising for my boyfriend, Atticus Bikos, as well as his younger sister (and my friend), Venus Bikos, who also both live and work in Chicago.

Over the past year, Venus and Atticus have been preparing for a life changing, monumental surgery. In February 2026, Atticus will be donating his left kidney to Venus. Through this process, we have all learned so much about how kidneys work, and, unfortunately, a lot of medical science is murky at best when it comes to kidney function and autoimmune disorders. But, what the doctors (at Northwestern University Medical) still know is that Venus needs a transplant as soon as possible.

Because of her blood type and the extremely long waitlist for a donor, it's incredibly hard to find a donor for V. Fortunately, Atticus is enough of a match, and has been working very hard this year to, as quickly as possible while working full-time, complete the necessary medical tests and approvals required to donate an organ. Venus has been preparing for this surgery amidst dealing with many intense symptoms that occur when your kidneys are not functioning as they should, as well as working and finishing her undergraduate degree full-time. Venus and Atticus have been so brave and I've really admired their commitment to life, wellness, and each other. A little about them:

In December, Venus graduated from UIC with an Accounting degree, and has served as the accounting controller for the past few years at Dispensary33. She lives with her amazing boyfriend, Andrew Kimball, and their two cats, Tuna and Jiji. She works incredibly hard to support herself, and if you are a patron or employee of D33, she has more than likely assisted you, directly or indirectly, with kindness (and probably a discount!). Every time I meet someone who knows V, they have a shower of praises to give her.

Atticus works as a Senior Systems Analyst at The Art Institute of Chicago, writes poetry, and just started as a coxswain for the Chicago Rowing Foundation's rec league. He is generous in so many ways with his family, friends, and community, and while this particular journey with Venus has been his priority for over a year, he has always been a mentor to her.

Although both V and Atticus have full-time jobs and insurance, the costs for this surgery and its aftercare are astronomical, so much so that kidney transplant patients are required to go to financial literacy courses. Although the USA, and specifically Northwestern University is an incredibly advanced medical facility, what is not advanced is the USA's approach to health care, as it is one of the only countries in the world without universal healthcare.

The recovery time for a kidney donor is about two weeks, with one week of 24 hour care, and the recovery time for a recipient of a kidney donation is about 1-2 months, including a lot of visits to the hospital, as well as certain necessary, life-long medications as the body acclimates to a new organ. A rough estimate of the costs include:

Thank you all so much. If you are not able to donate, sharing this with a group of people would be so amazing. This is a big ask, but I have no doubt our collective communities will be able to make this happen.

With gratitude,

Ariel, Atticus, Venus, and Andrew