To be serious for a second. Here's a good friend of mine is in need of help.
Our friend Andrea Gleason is in desperate need of a kidney, she's a Marbleheader and needs every bit of support she can get so please share this
Hi guys-
Some of you may know my aorta ruptured back in 2009 when I was 29 years old and I've had four open heart surgeries since that then.
Although my aorta issues are finally behind me, I am now dealing with a new issue.
In the last of the four surgeries, the stent they put (so blood could get to my kidneys) that was attached from my aorta to my kidney broke, which caused my right kidney to die due to no blood supply from stent. Within a year, my other kidney function rapidly declined, and eventually I had to go to hospital and get an emergency catheter in my neck for dialysis. This option is short term and not safe for me given my age and my previous surgeries. My doctors hoped I could avoid dialysis all together and get a live donor, but both of my brothers entered the donor evaluation protocol and were denied due to their own medical issues.
I'm now 38 years old and dealing with end stage renal failure. Unlike my other surgeries where doctors could "fix" the problems, my fate now depends on the generosity of others. I am trying to stay positive but I'm constantly fatigued and simple day-to-day activities like going to the store are no longer easy for me. I can’t shower b/c the catheter cannot get wet, I can’t wash my own hair, I have to wear special clothes so people won’t see the catheter, and I’ve lost so much weight it’s scary. I never thought I'd be contemplating my mortality in my 30's. To say that I'm scared beyond belief would be an understatement. Although this is extremely difficult for me to ask, as I understand it’s a huge ask, I'm desperately reaching out to my friends and family on Facebook in hopes that someone will consider being my live kidney donor and providing me with the most generous gift ever. It would give me my life back.
Should you consider donating, I would be happy to tell you more about the kidney donation process. Feel free to message me on Facebook or call me at (781) 576-9273. You do not need to be an exact blood type match in order for me to receive a kidney transplant. You can also contact my transplant center directly at (617) 643-7190 or go to mghdonors.org and fill out the questionnaire. They will then get back to you.
This was really hard for me to share but thank you for reading my story.
Please copy and paste this if you wish to share. Thank you
Love,
Andrea
