I didn’t create or start writing this blog because I had the perfect words. I started because I had too many thoughts and feelings, and not many places to to direct them.
When you’re navigating something as complex and challenging as a kidney transplant, the testing, the waiting, the fear, the gratitude, the hope – well, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in moments that no one else understands. Writing became my lifeline. Not just to process what was happening, but to honor it. To make sure the people who showed up for me; like my donor, Jeff, my parents, my sister, (countless) other friends and family, the doctors and nurses, and the prayer warriors don’t get lost in the blur.
There’s no training manual for how to emotionally survive a kidney transplant, let alone any transplant. You get pamphlets, lab result after lab result, and an endless amount of appointment reminders. But there’s no guide for what to do when you feel like a burden to others, or when you’re scared to hope, or when you’re trying to celebrate progress while grieving the life you had to put on hold to deal with your current health challenge.
Writing gives me a way to sort through it all. To name the things that feel too big. To laugh at the absurd moments like my kidney dialysis machine beeping me me for no reason and cry through the sacred ones like dozens of fears and ‘worst case what if’ scenarios about a kidney transplant that refused to leave my mind.
I am not necessarily writing to inspire. I’m writing to inform and connect. I’m writing to be honest. Some days I’m determined and full of fire to use this new kidney to live in the moment and tackle my goals that I was too tired to address before. Other days, I’m tired of all the medicine, frustrated by the constant lab work and tweaks to medication (but thankful at the same time). All while wanting to recover quickly and get back to my life.
But I believe real stories are what help people feel less alone. And more connected.
If someone reads posts and thinks, “Wow, I’ve felt that too,” then the pain I went through has already served a purpose. Not just others that have gone through kidney issues, but any kind of health issue as so many of us have medical challenges that we don’t talk (enough) about.
This blog isn’t just mine. It’s a bridge. Between you and I. Between Jeff and you. Between Jeff and myself. Between patients and caregivers. Between donors and recipients. Between people who’ve never heard of chronic kidney disease. People who don’t know a living kidney donation is a real thing. And those who live medical challenges every day.
It’s a place where we can laugh, cry, learn, and grow together. A space to honor the messy, miraculous journey of modern medicine and healing. Not just the outcome.
Every post is a small act of advocacy. A way to raise awareness, spark empathy, and maybe even inspire action. Whether it’s encouraging someone to consider a living organ donation, helping a someone with medical challenges feel seen, or reminding a caregiver that their support matters.
Words have power.
I write because our kidney transplant story should be told as all living donor transplant stories like ours. Not just the medical facts, but the emotional hard truths. The victories. The connections we’ve made along the way.
My 2+ year journey of kidney failure brought me here. My purpose keeps me going.
Every step of my kidney dialysis to transplant journey has been a series of profound blessings, shaped by the support and compassion of those who walked alongside me. Now I can turn those blessings into words. I want to honor the people, the process, and the purpose, and pay it forward in every way I can.
I hope my story will inspire people to see the power of hope, gratitude, and community in the face of overwhelming challenges. My journey through kidney diagnosis, dialysis, and transplant is not only about survival but about discovering how deeply we are connected to one another. I want readers to feel encouraged to ask questions, to advocate for themselves, and to lean on the people who love them when life feels impossible. I hope my words remind someone that they are not alone and that even in the hardest seasons there can be moments of joy, faith, and unexpected strength. Most of all, I want my story to spark action, whether that means signing up to be an organ donor, supporting a friend in need, or simply choosing to live with more compassion and courage.