01/07/2026
Thank you for following this page. We have created this page to bring awareness to Living Kidney Donation Possibilities.
Hello everyone, I hope this finds you all healthy and happy and ready to dive into a new year. As some of you know, I have chronic kidney disease. I was diagnosed in 2005. It was an understatement to say I was shocked to get that diagnosis. I never felt sick or had any indications that anything was wrong. Because it was so surprising, I had a rough start accepting and changing my life and style. I had been cruising on our sailboat in Mexico at the time and felt I had just started on this adventure and then …now what? Fun over? Lots of crying and “why me’s”. This sucked!
So, I stopped crying, got my life together with the support from my husband Ron, family and of course my nephrology team. I changed my diet to a low potassium, kidney friendly diet, exercised more and tried to manage stress better. That is still a struggle sometimes, but I’m better at it. I remained “stable” for the longest time, but still as expected my kidney numbers declined. They will never get better. I was accepted and placed on the UCLA Kidney transplant list in 2023. I’ve had people who filled out the form and talked with the UCLA team, but none were a match.
I am very fortunate to be very active still. I have a deep love of the ocean, surfing, snorkeling/free diving, sailing and fishing and also camping and road trips in our self built van. By receiving a kidney transplant I will be able to continue surfing and sharing that life with my husband and all of our grandsons who are also watermen in the making! A living donor is the best chance I have to keep this life going. There are so many more campfires to dream by.
I am not diabetic nor am I on dialysis. My doctors would like me to receive a live donor transplant before dialysis is needed as the out comes are better for a successful transplant. Unfortunately, nobody in my family is a match, so I am putting this out to all friends and the public in hopes that someone may see this and want to become a donor, a hero for me or if not a match for me then a hero for another who is also needing a kidney transplant.
The process is fairly simple. Go to the UCLA link in the bio, fill out the questionnaire and submit. The transplant center will let you know if you are eligible and if so, the next steps to take. The UCLA website will fully outline the procedure, timeline and what to expect after the transplantation. If you would like to speak with someone who has donated, I can put you in touch with a dear family member who has donated.
Even if donation is not something that you can do, I would be so, so grateful if you would share this message far and wide. I know there is a hero out there for me. I have so many more adventures and waves to catch with family and friends. Let’s take this life changing journey together. 💜.
Share, share, share!!! It will make a difference.
