Find a Kidney For Marissa

05/13/2025

I lost it today. I've been solid through this entire transplant journey but I lost it and just started crying in front of my husband Mike Lisowski . I just can't take all the discrepancies from hospital to hospital. I was under the impression that I was approved for double nephrectomy with transplant (getting both my polycystic kidneys out the same time as getting a donor kidney). They will do it ONLY with a living donor, NOT with a deceased kidney. My husband wants to retest. He's doing everything the mayo clinic is asking of him. If they pass him through then they will do it all in one surgery. But we both fear they will decline him like they did in 2022. I am so grateful for my husband. I love him so much and I'm so fortunate to have him in my life. I just know they put him through the ringer 3 years ago. I don't want that to happen again. It put a lot of stress on him physically and mentally to go through the entire testing process, especially since I'm his wife which means more to him to pass all the testing. I've had 6 people tested and all were denied for personal or health reasons. I don't fault any of them and I'm very thankful they wanted to help me. But, the mayo clinic is very strict. It just really hurts knowing I could potentially need to keep my enlarged cystic kidneys in for way longer than I expected. I truly just want my life back. I'm so tired and drained from the complications of this disease. The pain alone is awful and I just want to feel a day without that type of pain. I want my kidneys out! Like evicted! I'm sorry for the venting but I'm losing my mind during this process with no health advocate but myself to get me through. Nobody in the hospitals are helping me and I feel like I'm just a number, a check mark and it's truly pi***ng me off. I'm running out of options here. And I guess that's making it too real and scary for me. I guess the Cleveland Clinic is my last hope. Both the Mayo clinic and UF Health Shands hospital aren't willing to help get rid of my kidneys until months to a whole year after transplant. UF health shands said they'd wait 3 months after transplant to take out both kidneys and the mayo said a whole year after. I just want them out and hate to think my body has to endure two very invasive surgeries back to back. Please God help me get through this 🙏

Im adding my Microsite for those who are interested in kidney donation and would like more information about it.

https://nkr.org/QNR989

And this is my GoFundme link
https://gofund.me/169603ec

Any donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you to those that have already donated we are blessed to have you on this journey with us 🙏❤️

Marissa Lisowski Needs a Kidney | Can You Help?

05/08/2025

Im adding my Microsite for those who are interested in kidney donation and would like more information about it.

https://nkr.org/QNR989

And this is my GoFundme link
https://gofund.me/169603ec

Any donation is greatly appreciated. Thank you to those that have already donated we are blessed to have you on this journey with us 🙏❤️

05/06/2025

Omg y'all, I can't even get out of bed today. Yesterday was my MRI of my breasts for cancer screening. My grandparents had breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and colon cancer so I need to continue my yearly cancer screenings to stay on the kidney transplant list as well as get updated results for the Cleveland Clinic and UF Health Shands hospital to get multi-listed. The ONLY way to get an MRI of the breasts is with contrast. I have kidney disease and contrast is a huge "NO" for us but I had to do so because of my family's medical history. You need to drink plenty of water after an MRI with contrast to flush it out of your system since my kidneys are severely declined in function. It takes a lot of extra effort on my kidneys to flush out toxins and that's why people with kidney disease will eventually need dialysis when their kidney function gets too low to actually do its job. I slept all day after I got home. I still feel horrible even now and had to cancel my dental screening until next week. I seriously can't function today and I just want to stay in bed. I've been drinking tons of water since yesterday but I still don't feel right at all. This feeling sucks, but, I'm grateful that I got through the 45 minute test on my stomach! Laying on my bulged out ribcage that my oversized kidneys are pushing up on was excruciating but again I had to do it. I prayed to God to get me through the test even when I started to have an anxiety attack and miss breaths I prayed to get me through because the tech said if I stopped the test I'd have to reschedule it for another day and I DID NOT want to do this again another day! I hope I start to feel better soon. I plan to be a lazy bear and stay under the covers in bed all day on my heating pad. I don't wish this pain on my worst enemy. Prayers are always welcome as I continue on my transplant journey 🙏❣️

I also started a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses since my insurance won't pay for repeat testing to get multi-listed. Unfortunately every hospital wants their own testing to be done so I'll be responsible financially for all the repeat testing. Any donations would help alleviate the financial burden so I can focus on tackling this disease head on and continues to receive the care and treatments needed to get a kidney transplant. Thank you and God bless!

Hello, my name is Marissa Lisowski. I am 44 years old and live … Marissa Lisowski needs your support for Support Marissa Lisowski's Kidney Transplant Journey

04/29/2025

Hello guys, just a quick update. I have lined up appointments for the next two weeks. Starting tomorrow I'm going to get updated lab work done to see my kidney function as well as a complete lab workup to check everything else including a lipids panel to check cholesterol levels and a CBC (complete blood count) to check white and red blood cells and anemia. I'm also getting a referral to get an MRI without contrast of my abdominal and pelvic region to show my kidney (size/ volume) and an updated MRA of my brain to check for aneurisms which are very common for people with kidney disease. Next week I start off Monday the 5th at American imaging getting an updated mammogram and MRI of my breasts. Tuesday the 6th I'm scheduled for my dental evaluation. Thursday the 8th I'm scheduled for my gynecologist for an updated pap smear. And on Monday, May 12th, I'll be going for a kidney evaluation at UF Health Shands hospital in Gainesville FL to get multi listed at their hospital. I will be talking with the nephrologist, surgeon, social worker, psychologist and have another 30+ vial blood draw. I'm still awaiting scheduling for a kidney evaluation at the Cleveland clinic in Weston FL. I'm maxed out mentally and physically trying to get all this testing done in a reasonable time frame without losing my sanity in the process. I know I have explained our need to fundraise to help with medical expenses. All of these tests and appointments I just mentioned are our responsibility and our insurance won't cover because they already paid for a kidney evaluation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida. Our insurance will only fund one kidney evaluation so we are tasked with funding the rest. If you are able to help donate to my GoFundMe it would be so appreciated. Any donation, big or small, will help us pay off these medical bills that are needed for me to get closer to receiving a kidney transplant. Even sharing this to your personal page so others can read my journey and my need for assistance would be very helpful. I will update you all once I have more information. Thank you and God bless you all for following me on my kidney transplant journey 🙏❣️
https://gofund.me/b2827f1d

Hello, my name is Marissa Lisowski. I am 44 years old and live … Marissa Lisowski needs your support for Support Marissa Lisowski's Kidney Transplant Journey

04/24/2025

These are my monsters. I live with them everyday. The pain is excruciating and the cysts rupture without any warning. All the white circles you see are fluid filled cysts. There are thousands and the doctors can't find my actual kidney because of all the layers of cysts there are. My kidneys push up against other organs, specifically my ribcage making it harder to breathe. There is no place for my kidneys to go since they are so enlarged. They are projected to weigh 25lbs and will eventually need to be surgically removed. Please consider being a living kidney donor. You can be my hero and give me a second chance at life. Click the link to my Microsite from the National Kidney Registry if you are interested in becoming my living donor.
https://nkr.org/QNR989

Please consider donating to my GoFundme. We are tasked with having to pay for three kidney evaluations out of pocket since our insurance will only cover the one kidney evaluation from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida. Getting multi-listed at other hospitals in Florida gives me a great chance of receiving a deceased kidney transplant sooner. I am currently trying to get listed at UF health shands hospital in Gainesville, memorial regional hospital in Hollywood and the Cleveland Clinic in Weston FL. Any donations, big or small, will go towards any medical expenses due to needing a kidney transplant. Thank you for your support.
https://gofund.me/b2827f1d

04/18/2025

Since deciding to change my diet completely for the second time in my life to delay the progression of my incurable kidney disease, I'm trying to make my dinners and snacks as enjoyable as possible. Considering everything is vegan straight done to the pasta, bread and crackers. It's still trial and error but I'm doing the best I can to stay on track. I have lost 13 lbs since March 7th and I'd like to lose another 10-15 lbs for me to feel comfortable again in my own skin. I gained about 30 lbs since I stopped working and it's very difficult to stay active when I'm in chronic pain. We'll see what the future holds and if this helps stabilize my kidney function.

A sample menu

Breakfast:
Rolled oats, cinnamon, 100% maple syrup with half an apple and handful of blueberries

Lunch:
Raw veggies (cucumbers, carrots and red peppers) with avocado hummus dip and vegan Mary's crackers

Dinner:
Usually a tray of sauteed veggies with olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper or on occasion vegan pasta primavera with broccoli, cauliflower, onions and orange peppers and low sodium pasta sauce. Tomatoes I need to start restricting from my diet. They aren't good for people with kidney failure.

04/18/2025

Update 4/17
We are extremely grateful for the tremendous outreach of calls and messages to support us in our time of need and we are most appreciative to those that have donated to help us with the towering financial medical burden we have taunting us to get the medical attention I need to get a kidney transplant. Currently I got a $700 estimate from my dentist to get a dental approval letter. Because I have kidney disease, I'm more prone to get gingivitis and reseeding gums so they need to do a deep root cleaning before giving me consent. I have bad dental anxiety and can't sit still for long periods of time due to my enlarged kidneys causing me so much pain and discomfort. I'll need nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to get me calm enough to get through the hour procedure. This is not covered by my insurance at all but I need it to get through the pain and anxiety. I also scheduled a mammogram and pap smear for women cancer screening along with MRI imaging of my abdominal and pelvic region to show my kidneys and other organs. These tests are expensive but needed for me to continue getting tested to get multi-listed at UF Health Shands hospital in Gainesville FL and the Cleveland Clinic in Weston FL. I'm doing my best to stay on top of everything but these are the tests I can get done locally. The other testing needs to be done on-site and again we are the ones responsible for payment. The additional testing includes heart, lung, liver testing, 24hr urine collection along with a 30+ vials of blood collected for antibody checks and cancer screenings. I'll also need to take a stress test. Any donations, big or small will help us to get closer to our goal and alleviate the financial stress we are currently faced with. Please share my GoFundMe on your social media platforms so more people can see my need for help. Thank you for your support.

Hello, my name is Marissa Lisowski. I am 44 years old and live … Marissa Lisowski needs your support for Support Marissa Lisowski's Kidney Transplant Journey

04/15/2025

Hello, my name is Marissa Lisowski and I'm asking for help in raising funds for medical expenses due to needing a kidney transplant. I am 44 yrs old, married to my best friend, Mike Lisowski, since 2013 and I'm a dog mom to 3 spunky daushound sons. Unfortunately, I've been disabled since 2020 due to complications of living with stage 4 Polycystic Kidney Disease. PKD is a progressive, genetic, incurable disease that causes fluid filled cysts to form around the kidneys making the kidneys stop doing their job of filtering blood and toxins out of the body. It's very painful and can cause reoccurring unpredictable cyst ruptures, kidney infections and ER visits. There is no cure, just treatments such as dialysis or a kidney transplant. I chose to get a transplant, but, the medical burden of insurance co-pays and deductible are burying us. We are fortunate for my husband's insurance but we can't afford Medicare plus my husband's insurance (which would actually be primary not medicare). Living off of one salary plus battling kidney failure has been one of the biggest struggles we've had to tackle. Any help would greatly take the stress off our plate so I can concentrate on beating this disease and finding a living donor. All donated money will be allocated to paying co-pays, deductibles, prescription medications/anti-rejection drugs, ER visits, kidney evaluations to get multi-listed at other hospitals in Florida and relocation to our transplant hospital in Jacksonville for 6-8 weeks so we can be within 10 miles of the Mayo Clinic (we will be responsible for finding either a hotel with a fully equipped kitchen or an Airbnb/VRBO). Even sharing this to your page so others can read it can greatly help us. Any donations, big or small, helps us get closer to our goal. Thank you for any support and God bless 🙏 ❤️
https://gofund.me/20f337fc

Hello, my name is Marissa Lisowski. I am 44 years old and live … Marissa Lisowski needs your support for Support Marissa Lisowski's Kidney Transplant Journey

04/09/2025

Click on the link if you are interested in becoming my kidney donor. Save my life, be my hero 🙏
https://nkr.org/QNR989

If you are considering becoming a living kidney donor, the National Kidney Registry's donation program makes the process easier, safer, and more convenient. ...

04/01/2025

Kidney Transplant Update

03/31/2025

Started with a 3.5 hr drive (630am-10am), 2 hr consultation (meet and greet) with nephrologist and surgeon and 34 vials of blood later... Another kidney evaluation in the books. Next up is UF Health Shands hospital in Gainesville and the Cleveland Clinic in Weston FL. I'll keep you all updated but this hospital is the complete opposite of the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville. Different protocols, different anti-rejection drugs, different ways of performing the transplant and double nephrectomy. It's hard to keep up. I'll need a pros and cons list for all 4 hospitals. Then I'll need to choose which hospital gets my 3 years of time on the transplant list. I can't transfer my time to all 4 hospitals which I hate. A lot to take in!