Renee’s PKD Journey

06/30/2022

Look out, Sonic and Starbucks! Renee has found her match! She will go in for her pre-op on July 6th and will receive her gift on July 15th, the day she first started dialysis three years ago! 😱 Thank you to all the prayer warriors and everyone who stepped in to help! Continued prayers are obviously appreciated. On to the next step!

05/04/2022

From Renee today!

"Prayers sure do work. I just got the email about an hour ago…. I’m APPROVED for transplant at UPMC. Now to get my donor in and tested. My coordinator was heading home for the day she said she would call me tomorrow with more details. 💚🦋💚🦋💚🦋"

Keep praying!

02/14/2022

Happy Donor Day! Remember, donating saves lives. If you are interested in registering to become an organ donor, or just have questions, just follow the link below!

https://www.donatelife.net/celebrations/national-donor-day/

12/25/2021

12/17/2021

From Renee:

Just an update on my donor situation. One backed out. One was ruled out. I have one coming in on January 10th for testing. I have one more that transplant hasn't even called back. Please pray that the one getting tested on the 10th is a match. This dialysis is really taking it out of me. I'm working an 8 hour day then going for 3 1/2 hours to dialysis three days a week. Hoping that I can go to Pittsburgh in January. Please keep sharing and praying. I know my donor is out there. Thank you!

10/21/2021

This a real picture of what PKD does to the kidneys. Imagine having these inside your body! Check out the hands for comparison. These were officially removed from Renee in September! Keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she now navigates getting that special donor!

10/20/2021

Join me in wishing a happy birthday to our warrior! 25 years old never looked better! 😉

09/03/2021

REMINDER! Tomorrow is PKD Awareness Day! Put on your teal armor!

08/30/2021

September 4th is PKD Awareness Day! Make sure to wear teal!

08/17/2021

One of the first questions that I have been asked by potential donors is how long would I have to be off work? She tries to do the surgery laparoscopic so if you do well you would be in the hospital for one to two days. Depending on your job some people go back in as little as two weeks. Also, not sure how many people know this....if you donate a kidney if at any time in the future you may need any kind of transplant...you go to the top of the list. Please keep sharing this page. I just know the donor for me is out there. Thank you so much!

08/04/2021

This is the machine that a person on dialysis is tied to for a huge portion of their day. You only have enough leeway to make it to a close bathroom. The machine is like an anchor, tying you down until you’re finished, which sometimes takes hours.

07/29/2021

Governor Justice has declared August 1 WV Donor Day!

From our mountaintops to our riverbanks, West Virginians are united in one universal truth: We are at our best when we are united as a community. On the first-ever West Virginia Donor Day, we’re inviting West Virginians to come together as supporters of organ donation. We are reaching out across t...

07/25/2021

Did you know?

07/24/2021

This page has reached so many people already! Please keep sharing. ❤️

07/23/2021

We provide information and support to those undergoing or contemplating living kidney donation and t

07/23/2021

Thanks and welcome to all! Please take a couple seconds of your day to share this page. The more exposure we can get, the closer Renee will be to having her life changed. ❤️

07/23/2021

A great video educating on PKD!

What is polycystic kidney disease (PKD)? PKD's a genetic disorder that results in cyst formation in the kidneys, causing them to be larger than normal and fa...

07/23/2021

ISO Kidney
Do you have a second kidney that you would be interested in sharing with someone else?
July 15th, 2019 is the day that my life changed. That is the day that I started dialysis training and decided to stop smoking. Those first few days were hard- a lot of crying, feeling sorry for myself and going through withdrawals. Trying to figure out why me?
I was born with a disease called polycystic kidney disease-PKD for short Basically all it means is that cysts grow all your kidneys and eventually making them so they no longer clean your blood.
I chose to do peritoneal dialysis. When I started I still had a good bit of kidney function so, I only had to do one exchange a day. That took about 2 hours ...not too bad. I can deal with that.
As my kidneys have got worse, my dialysis has increased. Now I am up to a little over six hours per night In order to make sure that I have enough time , in case something goes wrong, I have to go to bed at 6:30 every night. Yeah not too much of a life. Get up 3:00 am go to work for 8 hours. Come home- make dinner, clean up and then it's time to get hooked up for the night. I am hooked to a machine so I have to stay in my bedroom or as far as the 20 feet of tubing will allow.
A really nice lady contacted me on Facebook and told me to put my story out there and see if anyone had a second kidney that they would be willing to donate. She said to ask everyone to share my story that you never know what could happen. I told her, I didn't know what to say that I'm not very good at writing. The more I thought about it I thought what do I have to lose?
So if you are willing to donate please call the transplant office at Ruby 304-974-3004. And if you don't want to donate could you please share my story with all the people on your friends list?
Thank You!