My name is Gwendolyn, and I received a kidney transplant on June 11, 2024. I will forever be grateful to the family that lost a loved one and donated the kidney. My journey has been very difficult, but I always stayed positive and processed my medical care one day at a time.
I was on dialysis for years. I had good days and bad days also, but I kept going. I never lost hope. I knew it was a process that I had to go through, not who I actually was. I had a great dialysis team that took care of me during my dialysis time. I have other medical conditions that I have to care for daily, but it is ok–as long as you are on top of your medical care, everything gets easier for you. I learned to be my own advocate and educated myself and always asked questions (there is no silly question).
I received the phone call at 2:00 a.m. stating I had to be in the hospital by 3:00 a.m.—they had a kidney for me. At that time, all emotions went through my head. I started to cry and give thanks from the bottom of my heart that I was given, by a hurting family that had lost someone special to them, the gift of life to recive the kidney transplant.
A new journey of life started for me. Now I have two birthdays to celebrate.
I hope my story inspires you to never lose hope and to take it one day at a time.
Please be a donor if possible. Life is very precious!
