“I was on dialysis for three years. I didn't have diabetes or high blood pressure. Doctors don't know what caused the problems. I had been sick for a while, and by the time I finally went to the doctor, they told me I was already in end-stage kidney failure, and my kidneys were so shriveled up that they were gone. They couldn't test them to see what happened to them.
“In 2012, in the three months leading up to when I went in to the hospital, I just started feeling really bad, really weak. I used to throw up all of the time. I didn't eat anything for three months. I lost 80 pounds. Everything left a real nasty taste in my mouth. I couldn't even drink water; it had a funny taste to it. I just stopped eating all together. When I went in to the hospital, I was severely dehydrated. I could barely walk from my bathroom to my bed.
“One day, it felt like I was having a heart attack, or something, and that's when I went to the emergency room. They did blood work and told me I was going to have to go ICU because both of my kidneys had failed. It was downhill from there.
“I know I waited too long to go to the doctor. I never used to go the doctor. I'm the type of person that figures that rest and fluids will eventually get you well. At first, I thought I had a cold. But the big reason I didn't go was because I didn't have insurance.
“When I finally did go to the doctor the first time, I was told I had a sinus infection, and they gave me a shot. I decided to enroll on my insurance plan at work after that, but it wasn't going to take affect until April 1. My plan was to wait until April 1 and then go back to the doctor again, but I didn't make it. I ended up going to the emergency room March 22, 2012. They told me if I had waited until April, I would have died because my toxin level was so high.
“Once they discovered I had end-stage kidney failure, I started dialysis. I did hemodialysis for a year and a half, but my fistulas kept blowing all the time and they used to constantly clot off. I just had a horrible experience with hemodialysis. I used to get real bad cramps and was real weak all of the time. I decided to do peritoneal dialysis, home dialysis, in September 2013, and I did that until I came in for my transplant in May 2015. I did peritoneal dialysis for nine hours each day, every night.
“Being on dialysis really didn't bother me like it did members of my family. I had faith that this was going to work out in some kind of way. I knew that God had something in store for me. I was never really worried about the dialysis itself. I did have a couple of setbacks where you get to thinking about certain things and the worst does come into your mind.
“In the beginning, when I was hospitalized for a month, it was tough. I have twins, and they were just 2 years old at the time. My mom passed a year prior to me getting sick, so there was a lot to process in the early going. I had panic and anxiety attacks when I was first diagnosed. Later I was diagnosed with depression. I would feel sorry for myself sometimes because my boyfriend, Demetris Hale, would have to do a lot of things for me. I have four kids I was trying to take care of, and the bills didn't stop. It was a lot to take in, and it bothered me early on.
“As far as finding a donor to bring with me to this program, my brothers and I had discussed them getting tested for me. When we first started talking about it, this cross-matching thing wasn't even available, or at least I didn't know about it. I thought I would have to have a donor that matched my tissue and blood type. And, in your mind, you think, 'Well, let me try to find a family member.' But everyone in my family has high blood pressure. Some have diabetes, and some have had cancer. My dad was going to be tested to donate for me, but he already had cancer, and he had high blood pressure.
“Ultimately, I was talking with Demetris and I asked him if he would get tested, and he said, 'OK.' We called the number and he did his phone interview and we went from there. He and I talked about it at first when I was talking to my brothers about it. When I asked him if he would do it, he didn't hesitate to do it.
“He helped give me a new lease on life.”
Christy Harris - 40
"I thought I would have to have a donor that matched my tissue and blood type. And, in your mind, you think, 'Well, let me try to find a family member.' But everyone in my family has high blood pressure."