DeBary woman spreading awareness for kidney donations while searching for transplant of her own
DeBary woman spreading awareness for kidney donations while searching for transplant of her own
In this time of giving, a DeBary woman is in search of a kidney. Like many she is now on the waitlist in hopes of a donor. She came forward with her story in hopes of not only finding a match for herself but one for someone else.
DEBARY, Fla. - In this time of giving, a DeBary woman is in search of a kidney. Like many she is now on the waitlist in hopes of a donor. She came forward with her story in hopes of not only finding a match for herself but one for someone else.
"I don’t want to be in that position. I want to live life," said Nancy Raymond.
Nancy is on the verge of kidney failure. The 63-year-old’s kidney function is nearing a collapse.
"That would mean I’d be scared," said Raymond. "I think I would be hopeful for the future. I just hope that someone would come forward and donate."
Nancy has faced difficult battles before. In 2015, doctors gave her one month to live. She was battling liver cancer at the time. A transplant saved her life, but the medication keeping her liver alive is destroying her kidneys. Her greatest fear now is not being able to see her granddaughter grow up.
"Just being able to see her grow up and seeing what kind of person she’ll become and I’d like to be there to help shape your future," said Raymond.
Nancy is one of 100,000 people in the US desperate for a kidney transplant. The wait time is five years unless patients like Nancy can find a match before then.
Nancy hopes that someone will hear her story and find out if they can be a donor. Even if she’s not a match for you, you could be for someone else.
"If you are not a match with the blood type there are programs were you can give it to another family who has a match for us and vice versa for anyone who has this and who is facing these challenges," said Nancy’s daughter Juliet Hare.