Lets do this - A Kidney for Melisa

We have 9 weeks till the surgery is booked in for the beginning of October. We thank everyone who has helped us get this far.

Melisa's Story

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is the last stage of chronic kidney failure.

My name is Melisa Griffith-Sammy and I was diagnosed with ESRD 3 years ago. There is no cure for ESRD, but it can be treated either by dialysis or kidney transplant.
I have been on dialysis since my diagnosis, 3 days per week 4 hours each day. My sessions start at 5 AM. I am prepped and then connected to a hemodialysis machine by way of an AV graft (an artificial tube surgically implanted into my upper right arm). Blood flows from my arm through the hemodialysis machine where an artificial kidney filters out toxins and removes excess fluid from the blood. The process takes 4 hours to complete and leaves me feeling weak, lightheaded and nauseous. These feelings persist for the rest of the day making it difficult to function and perform even the most basic tasks. By the next day I begin to feel normal again and regain my strength but it is short lived as I must repeat the process again tomorrow.
The past 3 years has been challenging to say the least. Enduring the rigors of dialysis has affected every facet of my life, my health and mobility, my job and finances, it has even robbed me of the ability to reproduce.

But all hope is not lost. A kidney transplant can greatly improve my quality of life and increase the odds of extending my lifespan.

My brother Elson Griffith has selflessly and heroically volunteered to donate one of his kidneys and he is a match.

But we need help from our family and friends to make this happen. The surgery has been scheduled for September 2017 and we need to raise funds to purchase his airline ticket from Sydney, Australia to Trinidad and to perform the surgery.

We are reaching out to all of you and ask that you share this with your friends and colleagues and encourage them to help if they can. No amount is too small, your donation will go a long way to fulfill my dream of once again enjoying something resembling a normal life.

Thank you to all those who have already made a donation either monetarily or otherwise. Your generosity has helped to extend my life and I will be forever grateful.