4th Transplant needed!
Donation protected
Shawn’s 4th Kidney Transplant
Hi, my name is Rashaan Alexander, but everyone calls me Shawn. From the age of 15, I have suffered from end stage renal disease. In the last 27 years, I have had 3 kidney transplants, 20 major surgeries, been on and off dialysis a combined 16 years, and spent well over 100 days in various hospitals around the country. For the past 5 years, I have been back on dialysis. I now do home hemodialysis, 4 days a week, 4-5 hours per treatment in order to stay alive. I will have to do dialysis until I get my 4th transplant.
Because I have had so many previous transplants, I have developed a lot of antibodies and I pretty much need a perfect match. I do not currently have anyone in my family or any friends that can donate. I have been on the waiting list since October 2011, that’s over 5 years. I could get called tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, 10 years from now, or never. My best chance is to find an altruistic donor, basically a stranger who is kind enough to be a living donor for me. Anyone, at any time, can donate a kidney because we only need one kidney to live. And with the need for organs vastly outnumbering the supply of organs, people such as myself have to wait years on dialysis before an organ becomes available. People are suffering and dying waiting for a transplant and I believe that together, we can change that! I am trying to raise the funds needed for my own transplant, including pre-and post medical care. This includes $10,000 for my post-transplant medications such as Valcyte, which is not covered by Medicare for transplants, and can cost upwards of $750 a month!
Due to my previous transplants and experiences, I have realized that there is a lack of information and resources readily available to patients in a central location. For that reason, I am starting a social venture called GiveaKidney (www.giveakidney.com). The goal of GiveaKidney is to increase organ donation and create awareness to the issue by sharing my story and experiences. In addition to my personal story, the website has information on how to become a donor (living and/or deceased), ideas on ways to increase donation, other people’s stories from around the web about donation, and advice for dialysis patients as they wait for their life saving transplant. I would like to raise an initial $25,000 to help maintain the site, advertise it, do a marketing campaign, and for expenses to travel to speak about donation. The long-term goal of GiveaKidney is to become a non-profit organization that continually helps patients with the rising costs associated with organ transplants.
Two years ago, I met a beautiful, amazing woman who truly saved me. For a long time, I thought that no one would want to be with me because of my disease. I was embarrassed that I was on dialysis and self-conscious of my scars. However, my fiancé, Max Ann, overlooked all of that. She made me believe in myself, regardless of dialysis and my health. She has made me take better care of myself and has shown me how to live my life, not merely exist and float through it. Last Christmas eve, I proposed to her in front of our family and friends. I know this is the person that I am meant to be with! Even though I would marry her tomorrow, I asked her to wait until at least 2018 before we got married because I do not want to marry her while on dialysis. The reason is I want to be “whole” when I marry her; not tired or lack energy because of dialysis. I want to be able to fully eat and be merry, not have to worry about my fluid restrictions and dietary restrictions. I would like for us to go on a cruise or a faraway island for our honeymoon, and not have to worry about scheduling dialysis treatments or the exorbitant cost associated with it out of country.
I believe that successfully launching GiveaKidney, will help me and thousands of other people find a donor and get off of dialysis. Thank you for helping me spread awareness about the importance of organ donation by donating to my cause and for donating to save a life!
Yours Truly,
Rashaan Alexander
www.giveakidney.com
www.twitter.com/giveakidneyusa
Hi, my name is Rashaan Alexander, but everyone calls me Shawn. From the age of 15, I have suffered from end stage renal disease. In the last 27 years, I have had 3 kidney transplants, 20 major surgeries, been on and off dialysis a combined 16 years, and spent well over 100 days in various hospitals around the country. For the past 5 years, I have been back on dialysis. I now do home hemodialysis, 4 days a week, 4-5 hours per treatment in order to stay alive. I will have to do dialysis until I get my 4th transplant.
Because I have had so many previous transplants, I have developed a lot of antibodies and I pretty much need a perfect match. I do not currently have anyone in my family or any friends that can donate. I have been on the waiting list since October 2011, that’s over 5 years. I could get called tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, 10 years from now, or never. My best chance is to find an altruistic donor, basically a stranger who is kind enough to be a living donor for me. Anyone, at any time, can donate a kidney because we only need one kidney to live. And with the need for organs vastly outnumbering the supply of organs, people such as myself have to wait years on dialysis before an organ becomes available. People are suffering and dying waiting for a transplant and I believe that together, we can change that! I am trying to raise the funds needed for my own transplant, including pre-and post medical care. This includes $10,000 for my post-transplant medications such as Valcyte, which is not covered by Medicare for transplants, and can cost upwards of $750 a month!
Due to my previous transplants and experiences, I have realized that there is a lack of information and resources readily available to patients in a central location. For that reason, I am starting a social venture called GiveaKidney (www.giveakidney.com). The goal of GiveaKidney is to increase organ donation and create awareness to the issue by sharing my story and experiences. In addition to my personal story, the website has information on how to become a donor (living and/or deceased), ideas on ways to increase donation, other people’s stories from around the web about donation, and advice for dialysis patients as they wait for their life saving transplant. I would like to raise an initial $25,000 to help maintain the site, advertise it, do a marketing campaign, and for expenses to travel to speak about donation. The long-term goal of GiveaKidney is to become a non-profit organization that continually helps patients with the rising costs associated with organ transplants.
Two years ago, I met a beautiful, amazing woman who truly saved me. For a long time, I thought that no one would want to be with me because of my disease. I was embarrassed that I was on dialysis and self-conscious of my scars. However, my fiancé, Max Ann, overlooked all of that. She made me believe in myself, regardless of dialysis and my health. She has made me take better care of myself and has shown me how to live my life, not merely exist and float through it. Last Christmas eve, I proposed to her in front of our family and friends. I know this is the person that I am meant to be with! Even though I would marry her tomorrow, I asked her to wait until at least 2018 before we got married because I do not want to marry her while on dialysis. The reason is I want to be “whole” when I marry her; not tired or lack energy because of dialysis. I want to be able to fully eat and be merry, not have to worry about my fluid restrictions and dietary restrictions. I would like for us to go on a cruise or a faraway island for our honeymoon, and not have to worry about scheduling dialysis treatments or the exorbitant cost associated with it out of country.
I believe that successfully launching GiveaKidney, will help me and thousands of other people find a donor and get off of dialysis. Thank you for helping me spread awareness about the importance of organ donation by donating to my cause and for donating to save a life!
Yours Truly,
Rashaan Alexander
www.giveakidney.com
www.twitter.com/giveakidneyusa
Organizer
Rashaan Alexander
Organizer
Powder Springs, GA
