My name is Jessica Gillard and here is my story. At 8 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Most of my life, because I have an autoimmune disease, I have been sick. In the last 2 years, things have taken a turn for the worst. Recently, the doctors have been trying to figure out if I have another autoimmune disease because my body has been falling apart quicker than most. The past 2 years, I've spent more time in the hospital than at home, and I've had a couple of close calls. I've had seizures that almost put me in a coma and nausea that has led to throwing up blood and has made it difficult for me to eat most foods, so my diet has become very restrictive. Then finally, the doctors found out I had kidney disease. For a while, I was doing alright, but now I'm in kidney failure and in desperate need of a new kidney. Recently, I met with Rochester about getting on the transplant list for a new kidney and hopefully a pancreas to help improve my quality of life and potentially give me a chance to have a better and healthier life, but I need help. Because of all my health issues, working a full-time job has started to become difficult. I'm a toddler teacher at Upstate Child Care Center and I absolutely love my job. Working with children has helped keep my spirits up during this challenging road. With the many trips to Rochester and countless doctor's appointments, things are starting to pile up, and I could really use the help in any way possible. I'm starting dialysis soon and my doctor thinks at-home dialysis would be ideal for me to start, but it will take me out of work for a bit and the supplies aren't the cheapest. Then hopefully, I will find a match for a new kidney and pancreas. I know this is going to be a very long and tough road ahead of me, but with help, I know I can get through all of this. So please donate; anything will help. If you are interested in potentially being a donor, please feel free to reach out to me, and I can give you all the information on how to go about getting tested to see if we could be a match.