A Kidney for Saumya

09/02/2025

Hopeful News & An Urgent Call to Action! ❤️🙏

I am so incredibly happy and relieved to tell you all that my wife, Saumya, is recovering from a successful lung surgery! This was the last major medical hurdle she had to clear to be ready for her kidney transplant. Her strength is just awe-inspiring, and we are one huge step closer.

But this good news also makes our search for her hero extremely urgent. The path is now clear, and we need to find her living donor now so we can get the transplant process started.

I know the biggest question people have is, "What happens to the donor long-term?" Let me tell you about Denice (pictured). I met her recently, and her story is pure inspiration. She received a kidney from her dad 58 years ago. Today, she is a vibrant 71, and her amazing dad is still going strong at 97! This is what donation looks like—a legacy of life and health. ✨Link to her story: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/father-daughter-living-kidney-transplant-duo-returns-ucla-56

Inspired by her story and driven by our urgent need, I am asking for your help:
1️⃣ If you've been moved to help: Now is the time to start the confidential evaluation. You can find all the links and info here: https://linktr.ee/AKidneyForSaumya
2️⃣ For our amazing friends already being evaluated: We humbly ask that you reach out to your coordinators to help move the process forward as quickly as possible. Every day truly counts.

You have all carried us this far. Now, we need your help to get us over the finish line. Please SHARE this post and help us bring Saumya home.

08/04/2025

A quick update from our family, and a heart full of gratitude.

I wanted to share this photo from Saumya’s first week of dialysis during her recent hospital stay. This machine was her companion, a lifeline that stabilized her and allowed her to come home. For that, and for the incredible friends who have been coordinating to bring us fresh, home-cooked meals to ensure she has the nourishment she needs, we are beyond grateful.

Now, a new chapter of our fight has begun. Saumya is home, but her life is now reoriented around a demanding outpatient dialysis schedule - many hours a day, multiple days a week, traveling to and from the center. It's a grueling routine that keeps her alive but takes a tremendous toll on her body and spirit.

This machine in the picture was the start of the bridge. The journey across it is proving to be long and exhausting - but there is only one way to go. The destination remains the same: a life-saving transplant.

So today, our request is more urgent than ever. Please, continue to share our story. Remind your friends that you don't need to be a direct match to be a donor - the system is designed to find a way. Help us find the hero who can end this exhausting marathon and bring her fully back to her life.

Thank you for being on this bridge with us. We are hoping and praying to cross it soon.

Click here to help: https://linktr.ee/AKidneyForSaumya

07/17/2025

An update from the hospital, powered by the hope of an 8-year-old!

Saumya is a fighter. After a few difficult days, she has stabilized, but her kidney is now at a point where it needs help. Tonight, she will begin dialysis. As she undergoes the procedure for the central line, our world feels both fragile and incredibly resilient.

And then, our daughter Arya gave her this card. She wrote, "Dear Mumma, everybody has hard things in their life, and that is okay. What we can do is hope everything will be fine." She is her mother's daughter.

My heart is full of her innocent wisdom. This is what we are clinging to: hope. The hope that I feel when I hold Saumya’s hand, praying for the future we dream of. The hope that a hero will see our story and decide to step forward.

Dialysis is a bridge, but it is not a destination. The destination is a new kidney. The destination is life.

We need our miracle. You can help us find it. The most powerful thing you can do is share this story and encourage people to learn about becoming a donor. It's a simple, confidential evaluation. You don't need to match Saumya directly to save her life.

Help us make Arya’s hopeful words a reality. Help us bring her Mumma home, healthy.

With a heart full of hope,
Himanshu
https://www.stanfordhealthcarelivedonors.org/

https://nkr.donorscreen.org/register/now?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-search-hero-how-you-can-help-save-my-wife-saumyas-himanshu-mishra-1gbue/?trackingId=jp2UgpdVTQ2E%2BrweSJNvtQ%3D%3D

07/12/2025

An urgent update and a heartfelt request from the ER!

Friends, I’m writing this post from a chair in the Stanford ER. My incredible wife, Saumya, was admitted earlier today due to a lot of pain over the last few days, which was getting worse - potentially attributable to a further drop in her kidney function - but TBD!

As we sit here, surrounded by amazing doctors and nurses who are taking the best possible care of her, the reality of our situation is sharper than ever. We are hoping and praying she can avoid starting emergency dialysis, but it's clear that time is of the essence.

In this moment of vulnerability, the need to clear up the biggest questions about kidney donation feels more urgent than ever. Your support has been our guiding light, and now we need to turn that light into action.

Based on our conversations, here are the truths that we need everyone to know:

❓FAQ #1: "Do I have to be a direct match for Saumya? What about your own donation, Himanshu?"
A: NO, a donor does not need to match Saumya. This is the most critical fact. As a testament to this, I am moving further along in my own evaluation to become a donor for her. Whether my kidney is a direct match, or starts a "swap" chain, or funds a "voucher," my donation is one part of the solution.
We can create a chain of life. Another person stepping forward to be evaluated, just like me, could be the key to saving Saumya and potentially many others. We just need people to raise their hands; the system works miracles with matching.

❓FAQ #2: "What if the timing isn't right for me right now?"
A: The timing can be entirely on YOUR schedule. The "Voucher Program" allows a donor to give a kidney when it works for them, and Saumya receives a voucher for a perfectly matched kidney when the time is right. It provides ultimate flexibility.

❓FAQ #3: "Do I have to be in California? What about the costs?"
A: You can be ANYWHERE in the US, and it will cost you NOTHING. All medical, travel, and lodging costs - plus lost wages - are covered by Saumya's insurance and the National Kidney Registry's Donor Shield program.

The Bottom Line: As we pray for a miracle here in the hospital, we know that miracles are often sparked by human action. The only true requirements to be evaluated are good health and a desire to help.

Please, if you have ever considered this, now is the time to take the first step. Share this post. Talk about it. Help us turn our prayers into a reality for Saumya and others like her.

Thank you for being with us in this fight.

Send a message to learn more

06/28/2025

Hi, everyone! Some friends have mentioned they couldn't access the LinkedIn article, so I wanted to share our family's full story right here on our Facebook home. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Your support means everything. ❤️

This is the most personal and important story I will ever share. It’s a story of love, immense resilience, and a heartfelt request for help. My wife, Saumya, needs a kidney transplant, and our family is searching for a hero.

✨ A Gift of Five+ Years ✨
A little over five years ago, our lives were saved by an extraordinary act of love. Saumya, who has courageously lived with a rare autoimmune disorder (Microscopic Polyangiitis) since she was 21, received a kidney from my own father, Dinesh. He gave me life not once, but twice. He and my mother are the human avatars of gods and goddesses for me, Saumya, and our daughter Arya.
That gift was a miracle. It gave us five precious, beautiful years to be the family we were meant to be—to travel, create memories, and watch our daughter grow. Those five years were a gift beyond measure.

❗The Urgent Need Today❗
Unfortunately, that precious gift kidney is now failing. Saumya is in stage 4 chronic kidney disease and urgently needs a second life-saving transplant.
Anyone who knows Saumya knows her spirit. She is a lotus flower blooming from muddy waters, a phoenix rising from the ashes. We are fighting to give her the future she deserves—a "rich season" of life where she can see our daughter grow up. To do that, we need to find a living kidney donor.

🙏 How You Can Help: Two Paths to Giving Life 🙏
We are working with two world-class centers in California. A potential donor can be from anywhere in the US, and the confidential evaluation is managed by their teams with zero obligation.
1️⃣ Path 1: UCSF & The National Kidney Registry (NKR)
This path is great for leveraging the national "paired exchange" program. A donor doesn't need to be a direct match for Saumya! You can donate in her name, starting a chain that finds a perfect match for her while you are matched with someone you can help.
Her Official Campaign Page: https://nkr.org/GQS274
2️⃣ Path 2: Stanford Health Care
This is closer to our home, and where I am currently undergoing my own donor evaluation.
Learn More: Review Stanford’s Living Donor info at: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/k/kidney-transplant/living-donor-program.html
Contact Stanford Directly: You can email their team at SHCKidneyLiveDonors@stanfordhealthcare.org or call them at +1-650-498-8382. (Please mention it's for Saumya Bhargava).

💖 Not in a Position to Donate? You Can Still Be Our Hero. 💖
The most critical role for most people is that of an Advocate. Finding a donor is a numbers game, and you can change the odds in Saumya's favor just by sharing her story. More than 10% of the entire US transplant waitlist lives right here in the Bay Area, so the need is immense.

Your share could be the one that connects us to our hero.
Thank you for being part of our story. Your support gives us hope and strength for the fight ahead.

With immense gratitude,
Himanshu, Saumya, and Arya

06/28/2025

Hi everyone. My wife, Saumya, urgently needs a kidney transplant.
The love and support we've received so far has been overwhelming. I've created a central place on Facebook where you can follow our journey, get updates, and find out how you can help. The most powerful thing you can do right now is follow the page and share our story.

Your help gives us hope. Thank you.

Here's the page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578035752625

A father's & daughter's hope for their shared love & light

06/28/2025

Welcome. We are so grateful you’re here. ❤️

This is a story about the love of my life, my wife Saumya. She is a force of nature, an amazing mother, and a true phoenix, rising time and again with a spirit that inspires everyone she meets.

A little over five years ago, my own father gave Saumya his kidney. It was a gift of life that gave us many precious years—time to be a family, to watch our daughter Arya grow, to live fully.

Now, that precious gift is failing. Saumya is in a fight for her life and needs a new transplant. Her optimism is our guiding light, but she cannot win this battle alone.

So many of you have reached out to ask, "How can I help?" It means the world to us. Here are the most important ways:

1️⃣ BECOME AN ADVOCATE (The Most Powerful Role for Everyone)
You can be a hero for our family without leaving your chair. Finding a donor is a numbers game, and SHARING this post is the most critical action you can take. Every share is a ripple of hope that could reach the person we are looking for.

2️⃣ LEARN ABOUT THE GIFT OF LIFE
The thought of donation can be intimidating, but it's a safe, confidential process, and the medical costs for a donor are covered by our insurance.
🔸 A donor can be from ANYWHERE in the U.S. (I am working on figuring out how it works for international donors)
🔸 You DON'T have to be a direct match! A "paired exchange" can create a chain of life.
🔸 You can learn more with zero obligation.
We have two world-class medical teams ready to answer questions confidentially. For all the details, links to the Stanford and UCSF teams, and Saumya's full story, please read the article I wrote on LinkedIn:
➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-search-hero-how-you-can-help-save-my-wife-saumyas-himanshu-mishra-1gbue/

Thank you for being part of our story. Your support—a share, a comment, a prayer—gives us strength for the fight ahead.

With immense gratitude,
Himanshu, on behalf of my love & life, Saumya, and our beloved daughter, Arya.