My name is Rahwa. I have been fighting kidney disease since I was 19 years old. My kidneys rejected with a rare form of kidney disease while I was in college. It's been 20 years and I am running out of options. The doctors say I have a 0.01% chance of matching someone, things look pretty bad and I am desperate, but I will not give up.

I have worked hard to take ownership of this life assignment I’ve been given. I would do anything to make sure that at the end of the day, if it all doesn’t work out, I can rest knowing that I fought my hardest and I did my best. I even dedicated my career to kidney disease as a result, and have worked in healthcare since my teenage years in medicine running kidney disease research projects, and in pharmacy. This knowledge has saved me countless times. It is a great blessing to have a passion for science and healthcare as well as a deep compassion for people like me navigating illness. I believe our health and our mortality is our one true connector. Just during the early days of the pandemic, about 6 months into celebrating my 8-year kidney transplant anniversary, I developed a small persistent cough. The cough grew to pneumonia, which almost killed me. I went into respiratory failure. I was on a ventilator for nearly 2 weeks, and in the ICU for 3. The kidney transplant was rejected as a result. I needed to relearn to be able to breathe on my own again and lift my legs and arms. To walk again. To manage an oxygen tank. Thankfully I was able to recover my lung function fully, but I was back on dialysis with no hope of kidney recovery, all while the world was in a state of emergency.

Truthfully, recovering lung function and not experiencing brain or other organ damage is nothing short of a miracle. But of the things I’ve experienced since my diagnosis as a kid, one thing for sure is I have seen more than my fair share of miracles through this adventure. I have had a truly unbelievable journey to get to this point, and I pray there is much more life ahead of me. Good and bad experiences alike, I am desperate for a chance to live more and more each day. All of what my life has to offer, the challenges and the victories. The good days and bad. They are all incredibly precious to me.

I have a beautiful Maltese/Shih-Tzu puppy named Winnie. She is my spoiled, broke bff. During healthy (pre-pandemic) days, I loved exploring the world, testing my limits in experiences, learning new things, exploring mini business ventures, playing tennis, and testing my culinary skills on loving friends and family. To me, transplant life is sunshine, adventure, love, and opportunity…

These days I manage dialysis at home. It’s difficult, but it keeps me alive. For that, I am grateful. I spend the rest of my day managing my condition as best I can. Living with chronic disease is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, hands down. However, I stay positive and think back on all I have to be grateful.

This path has made me laser-focused on what my values are in life and has made my voice strong enough to advocate for myself and for those not able to. If I ever find myself in a funk I often ask myself- when was the last time I’ve done something for someone else? And get to it. I always feel better :).

Now while dialysis keeps me alive, kidney transplantation allows me to live a healthier, longer life, as dialysis takes a toll on the body. It’s especially helpful for me because people usually experience kidney failure much later in life, and if I want to live a long life, it’s imperative I spend as little time wearing my body down on dialysis.

Thank you for considering me to give something so incredibly precious.