My name is Anna Curvin and I’ve lived with kidney disease my entire life. I’ve not let kidney disease define my life outcomes, but it’s been a rough journey. I’ve recently found the love of my life and will do whatever it takes to have the fullest possible life with the truest, deepest, love of my life for every minute I can. I was diagnosed with kidney disease during the first year of my life after doctors discovered that my plumbing was not hooked up correctly. I spent my first birthday in the hospital; pictures show a smiling baby with circles under her eyes. Severe kidney disease was going to be front and center for all my young childhood and by the time I celebrated my 10th birthday, I’d already undergone multiple surgeries. My teen years were surgery free, but I suffered from frequent bladder infections. When I was 27 years old, doctors had to remove one of my kidneys. By the time I turned 50, my remaining kidney deteriorated and could no longer filter the toxins out of my blood. I was in end stage kidney failure and was told that I needed to start dialysis. There are only two treatments for people living with kidney failure: dialysis or transplant. While I wait for a transplant, I must do dialysis treatments to keep me alive. Every night, I’m hooked up to a machine while I attempt to sleep. I spend almost 70 hours each week on dialysis. It’s grueling and I often experience extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and weakness. I’m not allowed to take a bath and it’s nearly impossible for me to travel, something I love to do. When you live with chronic kidney disease your whole life, it becomes just as natural as having freckles. It’s always there but I’ve never let it stop me from doing what I want. People describe me as compassionate, resilient, dependable, and creative. I’ve managed dialysis, recovered from a difficult marriage, experienced depression following a traumatic event, and relocated multiple times within a few short months. Life hasn’t always been easy, but I won’t give up. A new kidney will allow me to spend more time with my soulmate. My love for him is so deep, our life together is so happy and fulfilling. I want us to experience life to its fullest and finding a living donor will make that possible. I would feel better, live a higher quality of life, and be able to show up for him more completely. We want to do things as a couple without the restrictions of dialysis. We want to kayak, travel to the UK, and sit in a hot tub. The wait times to get a kidney from a deceased donor can be 5-7 years. My doctors and transplant team have advised me to look for a living donor. Finding a living donor will help me get “off the list” sooner and on to living my life. Most living donor surgeries are done laparoscopically and discharge from the hospital is usually 24-28 hours after surgery. The life expectancy for a living donor is typically longer than the average person. To learn more about living kidney donation or start the testing process on my behalf, please contact Breanna Bronson at The Christ Hospital at 513-585-1427 or breanna.bronson@thechristhospital.com. All costs for testing and surgery are covered by my insurance. Please like and follow my story on Facebook at SAVE ANNA. Thank you for considering giving the gift of life through living kidney donation. You could save my life or one of the 100,000 people waiting.
