Help Miles Loftis get a kidney transplant

End-stage kidney disease. Sudden. Complete. Irreversible.

This is how the doctors described the damage to Miles' kidneys just a few months ago.

The cause was the auto-immune disease IgA nephropathy, and given the severity of the damage, the only thing that can return Miles to health — is a kidney transplant.

Wait, what?!

Miles just turned 24! He’s always been healthy! Regular checkups were normal! This doesn’t make sense!

Yes, all of that is true. It has been a huge shock. It hurts your heart and it blows your mind.

Fortunately, Miles’ family has been able to mobilize and make a lot of progress ... His mother immediately moved from Florida to North Carolina to be with him from the first day he was in the hospital. His father — who lives in Brazil — came to the US to help care for Miles a month later. Miles has had two surgeries and a blood transfusion. He goes to dialysis treatments three times a week and follows a careful diet.

With a lot of love and support from family, friends, and quite a few medical professionals, Miles' health has stabilized.

We want to help Miles return to normal health and give him another chance – not just to live, but to thrive.

Here is where we are ... his best shot at recovery is a kidney donation from a living donor.

Miles' case was compelling enough that he was accepted into the Duke University transplant program in April. Wonderful news!

A few days later, the family learned that Miles' father, Satchel, ALSO had been accepted into the Duke organ donor program. Not only that, they are a good enough match that Satchel will be able to donate a life-saving kidney directly to Miles. The best news so far!

On the other hand, all of this is very expensive. Extensive tests, many visits, and support costs are pricey. Miles has been unable to work since getting sick. He had to drop all of his classes — in his final semester of school. Satchel will have to relocate to the US to be able to donate and support Miles during in his recovery. And expensive transplant prescriptions — that Miles will have to take for the rest of his life — are just around the corner.

Transplant surgery is scheduled for late May. Miles and his family have an uphill battle ahead of them.

Thank you for any help that you can give.