Kidney Search for Whitney Hayes
My Story
In 2018, one month before I started business school, I was diagnosed with Kidney disease. Yes, I was as shocked as you are right now. It was a pretty random diagnosis, as the type of Kidney disease I have is not common in Black women and it is not hereditary.
I was shocked to hear this diagnosis, but I was able to continue my life relatively uninterrupted (except all the pills, doctor appointments, and vials of blood taken from my arm). In grad school, I put the disease in the back of my mind so I could get through the next two years and hopefully begin a new career. Thankfully, I was able to travel, network, secure the bag, and continue to live ‘my best life.’
Now in Atlanta, in my new career, and my kidney has gotten progressively worse. Every doctor appointment, my kidney function decreases. Although I am fairly self-sufficient and resourceful, no amount of concentrating and studying has produced a new kidney for me, so I really need your help.
How can you help me?
Donate a kidney
A living donor would be an invaluable gift as these types of kidney donations last longer and are less likely rejected
If you are interested, call this number to set up an appointment for testing: 314-257-8310
My insurance will cover the procedure and there are government programs available to cover other financial events
They will NOT let you donate unless they are 100% sure that you are healthy enough to handle it and will not have any problems after
For more information, see Resources page below. In addition, I am always willing to talk through it.
What happens if you are not a blood match, but still want to donate?
Don’t worry! There is a program called paired match: The person willing and able to donate to me (who may not be a blood match with me), can be swapped with someone else who also has a donor that is willing and able to donate to them (who may not match them, but is perfect for me). See illustration below.
For more information, see Resources page below.
Talk to your friends and family on my behalf
At this point, I need to ask as many people as I can and you would be helping me a great deal if you were to share this information with as many people as possible. You never know – they might want to help a sista out!
Monetary donations
A major consideration of a potential kidney transplant is the financial burden - I will need expensive medication to ensure the transplanted kidney works properly.
Although I am employed, the last 2 years is a good reminder that the future is unpredictable!
A donation would be greatly appreciated - my GoFundMe is linked below. Thank you for your consideration!
Paired Match
Illustration
Get in Touch
Thank you for reading and considering! If you are interested in any of the information above, please give me a submit your information below and I will contact you to talk you through the process or answer any other questions.