11/04/2022
Please help me find my angel by sharing my story. 🙏
Please share this post to share my story. Even if you're not interested or able to donate, my guardian angel has to be out there somewhere.
My name is Melissa Paderta and I am in need of a kidney transplant to save my life. My goal with this post is to share my story and to share some information on how important organ donation is to many people who are also in need to save their lives. My story began when I was a child and suffered from many bladder and urinary tract infections. By the time I was 11, I started going into kidney failure and received my first transplant when I was just 21. My cousin, who is my angel in disguise, decided to step up to get tested to donate and was a perfect match. He gave me 20 more beautiful years of life, until COVID nearly took my life 2 years ago, but took the life of my new kidney. I am now on dialysis again 5 times a week and pretty much has had all of my freedom and joy from my life. I miss the old me. I was so full of life. I enjoyed working in the auto industry, traveling around the world, spending time with my 8 nieces and nephews who are my world, going to concerts and sports games, and just laughing and having a great time with my friends and family.
The average person can only survive on dialysis roughly 5 to 6 years on dialysis before death is our reality. Here in Wisconsin and in our surrounding states, the average wait time for a cadaver kidney transplant is anywhere from 6 to 10 years. By getting the word out about living organ donation, a transplant can occur as fast as 3 to 6 months, starting from the time one calls the transplant center and submits their information with the transplant coordinator. It is a fairly simple process to become a donor. After calling the transplant coordinator, they will send you a 5 minute online question about your health history. If everything looks okay, they will then proceed to schedule you for a time to meet with the coordinator and transplant team and to have all necessary testing and screenings done. This is done in one day and includes the basic tests such as x-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, and blood work to make sure you are currently health and to guarantee that you will remain completely healthy for the rest of your life with one kidney. They would never take an organ if it would pose a risk to your healthy. After the examination and testing, if all goes well, we will be able to schedule a surgery date. One can expect a 2 to 3 day hospital stay, with a recovery time of 2 to 6 weeks. After recovery, you will be able to continue to live your life normally without extra precautions or restrictions.
All medical and travel expenses for the transplantation are covered by my insurance.
I value my life so much and want to be able to continue living the life God gave me. My cousin gave me an extra 20 years of life with the gift he gave me, and I will be forever grateful for the chance to continue to live on with a new gift. I hear all the time from people, "I hope someday, someone will step up and donate." It's not just about donating, it's about saving someone's life.
If you're interested in getting more information about donation, please call Froedtert Hospital (414)805-6400 or Medical City Fort Worth (817)834-8500 and please tell them that you are interested in donating a kidney to Melissa Paderta.
Thank you so much and God bless! 💚🙏
