Support Jenni's Fight Against Kidney Failure

Hi, my name is Jenni! I am a 22 year old college student, with 3 older siblings, and a dog. Most of the time I work as a part time cashier, and during the first few months of the year, I work full time with two jobs, while still managing college classes. I do this so I can fulfill my goals of transferring to Northern Michigan University, where I plan on studying Geology. I have just completed the credits I need in order to transfer, and the plan was (is) to start the Fall 2025 semester at NMU. I like to keep a healthy lifestyle, and lived a relatively healthy life up until about a year ago, when I started having recurring health issues. After a year of lab tests and unknown diagnosis, I have learned that I have End Stage Kidney Failure (also known as Renal Failure). This means that my kidneys are beyond repair, and I am in need of a Kidney Transplant.

We are making this GoFundMe page to help spread awareness for the need for a new kidney. Anyone willing to be a donor can comment here and discuss your desire to help in my journey to recovery.

On the morning of Tuesday, January 28th, I went to my doctor for a check up on some health concerns, expecting a similar diagnosis that I had received a year ago. What started as Anemia, had progressed into kidney failure. I received a couple of calls that night from an unknown number. Turns out, it was my doctor trying to get a hold of me, warning me to go to the Emergency Room due to my estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The eGFR measures how much blood is passing through the kidneys each minute. A normal eGFR is typically 90 or higher. Mine was a 5.

Kidneys do many things. Among other things, they are meant to filter waste and toxins from your blood and produce urine. An eGFR test monitors how well your kidneys are filtering. An eGFR reading of 90 or above means the kidneys are working perfectly normally. When the test reads 60 or lower, it’s the start of kidney failure. By the time you reach a reading of 5, you have kidney failure, requiring the need for dialysis and transplant. My dialysis treatment is almost daily to help keep me alive until I can receive a transplant.

While expenses for my treatments are a concern, our main priority is finding a donor. I will be working with the kidney transplant program at the University of Michigan.