Our Story
Hi Everyone,
We need your help.
Our father Jacob is battling kidney disease and urgently needs a living kidney donor. Unfortunately, none of us are eligible to donate a kidney to him ourselves despite our best efforts.
Jacob is a good man who has always given his all to everyone he loves without asking for anything in return. Now, we're facing an unexpected situation: our dad needs us more than ever. That's why we've launched this campaign to find him a kidney. We hope to give back some of the incredible generosity he's shown us and everyone he has touched throughout our lives.
Who Is Our Dad?
Our dad has never been a man of many words; instead, he’s always been a man of action. He is a giver at heart and shows his love through continuous acts of service for each of his loved ones and his community. Our dad has been married to our mother for 48 years. His love for her has shown us what it means to be committed and compassionate in partnership. When our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, our dad cared for her with endless love and devotion. Today, our mom is fully recovered, and our parents are still deeply in love. One of our dad’s greatest joys is being a grandfather to five incredible grandchildren. He spends the majority of his weekends taking the grandkids on different adventures, always making sure they feel cared for and safe.
How did our dad get sick?
In 2008, our dad developed kidney cancer. It was a very scary time for our family because we weren’t sure how much the cancer would impact his life. Fortunately, our dad was saved because his amazing doctors were able to remove one of his kidneys and the tumor attached to it. For over a decade, our dad was able to live well with one remaining kidney.
However, in 2020, he started to experience the beginning stages of renal kidney failure. His one remaining kidney was failing. Today, our dad is facing some of the early symptoms associated with kidney failure, like fatigue and weakness. His levels are currently worsening, putting him at risk for numerous complications, including death.
The Current Situation
Our dad is currently on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) list, alongside over 100,000 others waiting for a kidney transplant. The wait in the Maryland-DC-Virgina region can be 6 to 8 years. Even if our dad could manage that wait, he'd likely need dialysis for several years beforehand, which can lead to numerous complications. A kidney from a living donor is truly the best option for our father.
The toughest part of this situation is the reliance on the incredible generosity of someone choosing to donate one of their kidneys. As our dad’s three kids, we wish so badly that one of us could be a donor ourselves, but unfortunately each ineligible to donate. It’s difficult for us to ask someone for such an extraordinary gift, but our father’s life is priceless, and it’s essential that we put this plea out into the world.
How you can help?
We need your help to find our dad a living kidney donor. We need your help to spread the word and find the generous soul meant to donate a kidney to our dad. We believe there's someone out there who feels called to make this life-changing decision, and we are hopeful that our paths will cross.
Please click here if you are interested in learning more about becoming a living donor for Jacob or interested in helping us spread the word.
We hope that by sharing our dad's story openly, we can inspire you to help not just him but others in similar situations.