My biggest battle is yet to come: Tiffany

Hi my name is Tiffany Quintero.

At the young age of 9 I was diagnosed with FSGS, a chronic kidney disease. Almost all my life I've struggled with the ups and downs of this disease. For the past 8 years I've been on dialysis, a life saving treatment which does the job of your kidneys to purify the blood and remove excess fluid and waste products.

In January 2021 while in the process to get on the kidney transplant list I contracted COVID and almost lost my life. This was extremely dangerous for me because I had complications getting dialysis, fluid was building up inside of me causing me to feel like I was drowning on dry land. My symptoms from Covid was difficulty breathing even with 100% oxygen. Things got so bad the doctors thought I wasn't going to make it and nearly put me on a ventilator. I myself at one point lost hope and my will to keep fighting. I just felt so tired and wanted to rest.

My husband did his best to motivate me saying " You are the strongest person I know, all your life you've been a fighter. Just one more round, one more punch, you're like Mike Tyson. You can do it!" Those words pushed me to keep going, not for myself but for him. I couldn't accept that I would be the cause of his immeasurable pain.

Thankfully after time I was able to get better but the whole ordeal took a toll on my heart. Despite efforts made to help my heart recover with medication, there was no improvement leaving me no other option except to also get a heart transplant. I've visited many hospitals in both NJ and NY in hopes they'll take my complicated case. However I was rejected and only had 1 option left, Chicago University Hospital.

The requirements I was given were:

1. For atleast 1 year move to Chicago to live there.

2. Get the heart transplant first, wait several months and get a kidney transplant next.

This means not only do I have to leave behind family (my pets too) and friends but also my husband. His job provides us with health insurance which will cover most of my surgeries and medication too. So he has to stay behind so I can keep it. This will greatly limit how much time he can spend taking care of me even after using his vacation days. He would have to commute back and forth between NJ and Chicago.

We are both worried because we dont have any experience with something this huge, we dont know what to expect or how difficult this will truly be. All we know is this is my only chance of getting healthy and we can't miss it. We will need a lot of help and can't face this alone. My husband wants me to solely focus on getting better and he will do everything in his power to handle everything else. This will be an enormous strain financially and that's why we need help.

There will be extra living expenses with me living in Chicago, I'll need transportation and food etc. After these two surgeries, my health will be delicate and require me to live in a suitable home once I return to NJ. I currently live in a basement and need to find an appropriate living arrangement so I dont jeopardize my transplants or my life.

Asking for help has never been easy for me, I've personally always felt I needed to be strong enough to deal with my problems on my own. This has been a tough pill to swallow but knowing this is my 1 chance to change my life for the better, I have to take it. I'll be as healthy as possible considering my circumstances and living an almost "normal" life. This is my all or nothing moment.

If you can find it in your hearts to donate, any little amount will help us tremendously. Words cannot express the gratitude my loved ones and I feel.