We would gratefully appreciate your help and support for Jennifer Riley as she prepares for an upcoming kidney transplant this October 15th, 2024. After a year-long evaluation process, Jennifer and her brother, Shane, were approved as a match for transplant at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA! Thanks to her brother’s enormous heart and selfless decision, Jennifer will be receiving the most unimaginable life-saving gift.

Jennifer suffered a major Lupus flare in the summer of 2022 and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center where she underwent pericardial window surgery for a large pericardial effusion around her heart. While receiving care at Albany Med, a biopsy showed that the Lupus flare had also attacked her kidneys. In an effort to prevent kidney failure and further damage to the kidneys, Jennifer began receiving bi-weekly chemotherapy infusions for three months to try and suppress the active Lupus disease. Unfortunately, upon the completion of chemotherapy, Jennifer’s kidneys went into acute renal failure, and she began emergency dialysis in early December 2022. Jennifer’s kidney function never returned, and transplant became the only option towards regaining a healthy, long life.

Learning how to cope with being on dialysis was an overwhelming reality for Jennifer, and she spent over a year receiving 4-hr treatments three days a week in-clinic. This not only caused Jennifer to reduce her work hours, but it subsequently meant a loss of income. Since completing a month of training in January 2024, Jennifer has been able to do 2.5-hr hemodialysis treatments for five/six days a week at home (and work more hours). While waiting for a transplant, dialysis has been the only thing keeping Jennifer alive. And over the last two years she has had to continuously manage unpleasant side effects including constant fatigue, swelling, high and low blood pressure, electrolyte imbalances, leg cramps, nausea/vomiting, and worsening anemia (with over eight subsequent blood transfusions).

Without a living donor, Jennifer could have been on the transplant waitlist for roughly 5-6 years--But her wait is finally coming to an end! She cannot begin to express how grateful she is for her brother’s decision to donate a kidney to her! The love for him, her family, friends and community are what has kept her moving forward through this difficult time. After receiving her kidney, Jennifer aspires to participate in many activities with her young daughter, Jillian, to make up for things she hasn’t been able to do while on dialysis – and Jillian can’t wait for them to go swimming together again!

As Jennifer and her brother prepare to go to Boston in October, they could understandably use some help for this costly journey to transplant. Donations will go towards living and travel expenses, which includes staying in an apartment in Boston near Mass General hospital. Jennifer is required to stay in Boston after transplant for 4-weeks (and rentals in the area cost about $250-$500 per night). Jennifer and Shane will need to make a trip to Boston for a pre-op appointment two weeks before surgery. After transplant, Jennifer and her mother will need to use rideshare services to commute from the apartment to the hospital for frequent appointments during that 4-week recovery period in Boston. Even after that 4-week period, Jennifer will need to return to Boston for monthly appointments for 6-12 months after transplant. Along with the expense for Boston, Jennifer will be out of work for an extended period of time as she recovers until she is cleared to return (8-12wks). So donations will also help cover some of the loss of income (which will help alleviate potential financial burden for Jennifer) while she is away and recovering. The expenses are adding up fast, and any donations will certainly lessen her anxieties moving forward.

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.” Thank you for taking the time to read Jennifer’s story, and we hope you will consider making a difference for her and her family.