KAT-AID Help Kat make a new home for her Kidney
Kat is a 29 year old super optimist.
Though her life has been riddled with physical struggles, she has
focused her energy and thought towards the value in each aspect of her
life experience in order to learn and grow. She is usually wearing
a grin from ear to ear and feeling excited about the activity of the
moment. One of her favorite responses to any query is that she is
“DFW!” (Down For Whatever!)
Three and a half years ago she lost the function of her second kidney and had to undergo four hour dialysis sessions three times a week. This made it difficult for her to work any regular job, so she committed to getting training as a dog groomer, where her hours could be more flexible. Plus, she is such a dog lover that it was a joyful choice for her. Still, this only afforded her a temporary meager living. Because dialysis is not a life-long sustainable procedure, most dialysis patients are waiting for a replacement kidney. There is a national registry list for transplants, and they are given on a point system. Each patient has a list of six DNA markers that the registry looks to match up when a kidney becomes available. A transplant can be done if one or two markers don’t match, but it’s more difficult for the kidney and the body to get along. Often a potential transplant receiver will be called as a back up if the patient ahead of them fails to be healthy enough to go through the surgery. So, Kat has been caring for her body, making it as strong and as healthy as she was able so that when the call come, she would be ready.
Well, the call came Sunday night (March 23rd).
The national registry got the news that a woman in the Georgia/Florida
area was pronounced brain-dead and that she was a multiple organ donor.
When all the statistics were given on her DNA markers, it turned out
that she was a perfect match for Kat. Fortunately for Kat, she was
given a day to get her things in order before her surgery and recovery
time (which can take months). A trip to the social workers office
left her with the grave news that she would be receiving only $715.00 a
month in assistance from Social Security. Considering that her
rent, car payment and insurance added up to $950.00, (putting food and
gas aside) this was going to be a challenge for her financially.
Kat feels personally responsible for herself, and sacrifices whatever
she can not afford. But, she needs shelter, a car to get to her
appointments in
If you would like to assist this wonderful person on her road whole health, please donate whatever feels good to you. Even the smallest amount will help.
The update on her surgery is that it all went very well and she is feeling “amazing”. Within a few hours of her surgery, Kat’s new kidney was working great. She has more energy and feels terrific. Miss optimism is on her way to a healthy, whole life again. Look out world, here she comes!