Help Maya Get a Kidney!
Donation protected
This is my best friend, Maya. Professional pet sitter (sometimes sitting for very special babies named Kalika), foodie, little big kid at heart and an expert lollygagger.
One day, early in our decade long friendship, she casually told me that she had some "health stuff going on" which meant she couldn't spend the night, drink alcohol or go camping. That wasn't going to deter me from making her my best friend and doing everything together! On weekdays we rode bikes to the market wearing fake mustaches and berets yelling "Buongiorno principessa!" to strangers on the street. On weekends we stayed out dancing until 2am, and people always wanted to know what drugs we were on or what we were drinking. Lucky for us the amount of endorphins generated from our laugh attacks was more than enough to keep us high on life. When I finally learned she was on dialysis, it was hard to comprehend how she could downplay something so serious. On top of being a very private person she explained that she didn't want people to focus on the limitations of her health. So I never did.
As the cheesy home decor saying goes, we lived, laughed and loved! Through all that joyful living Maya has had hundreds of appointments, dozens of hospital stays, a few ER scares, a couple surgeries and I've been there by her side, envying her stoic high pain tolerance. I cry when I stub a toe but I digress. Even when it was too painful to have full laugh attacks she still had a great sense of humor during her hospital residencies, as she likes to call them. Some of the best memories we share were created at Stanford hospital whether it was checking out cute nurses or switching places and tricking her doctor into thinking I was the patient and that a miraculous recovery had occurred overnight. She even laughs at my optimism when I say that I'll always take care of her and that we are going to grow old together, die on the same day, holding hands in the middle of a laugh attack. In order for her to have a chance at that happy ending, doctors say she needs a kidney transplant. She's done all the home and doctor prescribed remedies, taken the eastern tinctures and the western meds, pays for a private physician and has seen many expensive naturopaths with little to no relief from her symptoms. I came a across an old picture from before I knew her and asked, "What happened to your hair?" "Chemo" she said. Her response was so casual, like I had asked her what day it was. Another similar instance was when she replied to an inquiry of mine with, "Oh I never told you about that time I was airlifted to the hospital??" Even her calm demeanor has become a trauma response to what she has gone through with her health battles. She can't "sweat the small stuff" because it could affect her blood pressure which is a constant concern. Recently the strain on her heart from the dialysis is another thing that needs to be closely monitored. I am very relieved to report that she has been placed on the transplant list and could receive a kidney at anytime. From now until then we need to raise funds so that her living expenses throughout the 3 month recovery period can be taken care of and she can focus on her healing without stressing over rent, bills and food.
Currently Maya spends long stretches of time at the dialysis center getting her blood cleaned 3 days a week. Pre-covid I was allowed to be there the whole time, bring her favorite foods, watch cooking shows and do our normal people watch and giggle sessions to pass the time. I would caress her hand through a painful spell or she would stroke my head and let me nap on her arm rest. We now video chat, but it's not the same and my heart aches that we can't go through it physically together. There is so much more I could say about our adorable connection but I'd be doing a disservice to my dear friend if I didn't tell you about what this transplant would mean for her quality of life.
Maya is mostly a self taught artist with a unique and cinematic eye. I think if Quentin Tarantino and Greta Gerwig had a baby and that baby made a foreign film about a group of kids in the 80's riding their bikes through an epic scavenger hunt, Maya would probably win an award for best cinematographer/director on that film. (I would probably win best writer/actress).
School is another passion that Maya would love to pursue and deepen her knowledge in graphic design, film and architecture. With limited energy she's always juggled working, school and her health which has made it almost impossible to fully commit her time to getting a degree and starting a passionate career in the arts. Maya also loves to travel which can be tricky when having to lug around a machine that keeps her alive. The medical supplies alone for a week long road trip to LA one year took all the space in the car. Imagine trying to fly in an airplane with all the luggage. Getting a hotel and having supplies shipped there was a fun way to get around that challenge, but there was always a fear in the back of her mind about the power going out and us being stuck somewhere without being able to get her proper care. She's always dreamed of riding vespas in Italy, pretending to be the girl form Whale Rider in New Zealand and floating freely in the clear blue waters of Hawaii. Maya loves water more than anyone I know. So much so that it seeps into her dreams most nights. Catheters have to remain sterile to prevent deathly infections in the body therefore in all the years I've known her she has never been able to fully submerge herself into a natural body of water, something I took for granted before meeting her. These are just a few major ways getting this life saving surgery would change her life dramatically.
I'm asking that if you are reading this and have money or time, please spend it on saving my best friend’s life. Thank you for spreading the word and for praying for us to meet our goal. All the money we raise will go towards living expenses for Maya and Ana Hernandez. Ana is Maya's loving mother and will be her full time caregiver during her estimated 3 month recovery time. Ana is a retired teacher and currently works as a doula, but will be taking time off during those months to fully focus on Maya's healing—as Maya will need her to get groceries, cook, clean and drive Maya to her weekly appointments. Ana’s living expenses and bills along with Maya's have been calculated at ten thousand dollars. You can help by donating money and most importantly sharing this page and Maya's story with your compassionate loved ones. Thank you from my whole heart to yours! ❤️
As the cheesy home decor saying goes, we lived, laughed and loved! Through all that joyful living Maya has had hundreds of appointments, dozens of hospital stays, a few ER scares, a couple surgeries and I've been there by her side, envying her stoic high pain tolerance. I cry when I stub a toe but I digress. Even when it was too painful to have full laugh attacks she still had a great sense of humor during her hospital residencies, as she likes to call them. Some of the best memories we share were created at Stanford hospital whether it was checking out cute nurses or switching places and tricking her doctor into thinking I was the patient and that a miraculous recovery had occurred overnight. She even laughs at my optimism when I say that I'll always take care of her and that we are going to grow old together, die on the same day, holding hands in the middle of a laugh attack. In order for her to have a chance at that happy ending, doctors say she needs a kidney transplant. She's done all the home and doctor prescribed remedies, taken the eastern tinctures and the western meds, pays for a private physician and has seen many expensive naturopaths with little to no relief from her symptoms. I came a across an old picture from before I knew her and asked, "What happened to your hair?" "Chemo" she said. Her response was so casual, like I had asked her what day it was. Another similar instance was when she replied to an inquiry of mine with, "Oh I never told you about that time I was airlifted to the hospital??" Even her calm demeanor has become a trauma response to what she has gone through with her health battles. She can't "sweat the small stuff" because it could affect her blood pressure which is a constant concern. Recently the strain on her heart from the dialysis is another thing that needs to be closely monitored. I am very relieved to report that she has been placed on the transplant list and could receive a kidney at anytime. From now until then we need to raise funds so that her living expenses throughout the 3 month recovery period can be taken care of and she can focus on her healing without stressing over rent, bills and food.
Currently Maya spends long stretches of time at the dialysis center getting her blood cleaned 3 days a week. Pre-covid I was allowed to be there the whole time, bring her favorite foods, watch cooking shows and do our normal people watch and giggle sessions to pass the time. I would caress her hand through a painful spell or she would stroke my head and let me nap on her arm rest. We now video chat, but it's not the same and my heart aches that we can't go through it physically together. There is so much more I could say about our adorable connection but I'd be doing a disservice to my dear friend if I didn't tell you about what this transplant would mean for her quality of life.
Maya is mostly a self taught artist with a unique and cinematic eye. I think if Quentin Tarantino and Greta Gerwig had a baby and that baby made a foreign film about a group of kids in the 80's riding their bikes through an epic scavenger hunt, Maya would probably win an award for best cinematographer/director on that film. (I would probably win best writer/actress).
School is another passion that Maya would love to pursue and deepen her knowledge in graphic design, film and architecture. With limited energy she's always juggled working, school and her health which has made it almost impossible to fully commit her time to getting a degree and starting a passionate career in the arts. Maya also loves to travel which can be tricky when having to lug around a machine that keeps her alive. The medical supplies alone for a week long road trip to LA one year took all the space in the car. Imagine trying to fly in an airplane with all the luggage. Getting a hotel and having supplies shipped there was a fun way to get around that challenge, but there was always a fear in the back of her mind about the power going out and us being stuck somewhere without being able to get her proper care. She's always dreamed of riding vespas in Italy, pretending to be the girl form Whale Rider in New Zealand and floating freely in the clear blue waters of Hawaii. Maya loves water more than anyone I know. So much so that it seeps into her dreams most nights. Catheters have to remain sterile to prevent deathly infections in the body therefore in all the years I've known her she has never been able to fully submerge herself into a natural body of water, something I took for granted before meeting her. These are just a few major ways getting this life saving surgery would change her life dramatically.
I'm asking that if you are reading this and have money or time, please spend it on saving my best friend’s life. Thank you for spreading the word and for praying for us to meet our goal. All the money we raise will go towards living expenses for Maya and Ana Hernandez. Ana is Maya's loving mother and will be her full time caregiver during her estimated 3 month recovery time. Ana is a retired teacher and currently works as a doula, but will be taking time off during those months to fully focus on Maya's healing—as Maya will need her to get groceries, cook, clean and drive Maya to her weekly appointments. Ana’s living expenses and bills along with Maya's have been calculated at ten thousand dollars. You can help by donating money and most importantly sharing this page and Maya's story with your compassionate loved ones. Thank you from my whole heart to yours! ❤️
Organizer and beneficiary
Charley Fierro
Organizer
Capitola, CA
Maya Hernandez
Beneficiary