As of this morning, there are over 122,300 people needing a life-saving organ 
transplant in the United States. More than 10,000 of those candidates live in “Region 11” (UNOS designated region consisting of KY, TN, VA, NC, and SC). And 8,527 of them need a Kidney.
Mindy Colonna is one of them.
Mindy grew up in Williamsburg, VA, the childhood best friend of Sarah King Taylor. Mindy was the youngest of 4, and has 3 older brothers. She currently lives just outside Williamsburg with her husband Eddie and her son Cody. Mindy was only 19 when she first found out about her kidney disease. Her doctor put her on medication to help slow the process and for 20 years, it seemed to work. In September of 2014, she started feeling sick and extremely fatigued all the time. After checking in with the doctor, they determined her kidneys were functioning at 70%, which was not cause for immediate concern. Unfortunately not much time passed before Mindy’s hands, feet, and legs began swelling and she discovered her kidney function had dropped down to only 15%.
Mindy’s husband, Eddie, volunteered to donate one of his kidneys. He got tested and found out he was a match! Unfortunately, the doctors discovered some of his arteries were in such close proximity to the kidney, that they could not perform the procedure safely. Mindy has been on the transplant list since June 2015. She is currently undergoing the second-half of the surgery needed to prepare her veins for dialysis. She will have to do dialysis 3 times a week, for 4 hours each time, until she receives a transplant.
#BIGASKBIGGIVE
Did you know a healthy person can donate one of their kidney’s while they are still living? Kidneys from living donors offer better outcomes and a life-saving alternative to the long, uncertain wait of a deceased donor. Living donors allow those in need to plan and schedule their transplant when they need it most. Living donor kidney transplants offer a number of superior benefits, from greater success rates to nearly double the years of function. Living donors not only help those in need get a healthy “living” kidney (when they need one); they also prevent those in need from getting sicker (or dying) while they wait.
If you were healthy enough to do so, would you ever consider donating one of your kidneys? Finding out if you’re a match is almost as simple as knowing your blood type (in Mindy’s case, A+ or O would match).
If you would like more information on how you can help Mindy, please email us at Info@JSRealty4U.com.
In the meantime, please forward and share this story and help spread the word to raise awareness about being a living donor. You can help save lives!
