If you had a chance to save a life, would you? Well here’s your chance. My friend is fighting for her life and you or someone that you know may be able to help. I met Liz over thirty years ago. Her cousin and I had been best friends for most of our lives. I spent a lot of time with my best friend. I loved her and her family as if they were my own. I’ve seen Liz on and off throughout the years. I’ve watched her grow from a little girl into a beautiful woman. Her mom is a really special lady as well. Needless to say they both mean a lot to me. I tend to treasure my friends. It takes a lot for me to befriend someone and take them into my heart but once I do, it’s forever.

I can go on about how great Elizabeth is. She is a loyal friend, a strong woman with strong convictions. She is a loving daughter, wife and mother. She has friends and an entire extended family who care for her. Most importantly, she has a fourteen year old son who depends on her. Her son needs his mother around to witness and celebrate his graduation from high school, college and to see him get married and have children.  We all want Liz around for a long time.

Liz has a genetic syndrome called Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD. It replaces healthy kidney tissue with cysts. Eventually there isn’t enough kidney tissue to do the job the kidney is meant to do. That’s when you need a new kidney. That’s the stage that Liz is now. She is currently at 14 percent kidney function. She will need to begin painful dialysis at about 9 percent. She needs a new kidney…now!

Before Liz,  I never even heard of PKD. The disease is more common than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy , sickle cell anemia and downs syndrome combined! That’s crazy! It affects 600 thousand Americans and 12.5 million people around the world!

My cousin David has gone through his own journey of kidney failure. He was diagnosed with glomerulosclerosis at the age of 10. He had two kidney transplants and now at the age of 38 he is still healing. David’s most recent kidney transplant was from a live donor. His courageous, giving donor George Livingston is a New Jersey State Trooper. George just happened to see David’s need for a kidney on Facebook right in the nick of time! A complete stranger decided to help. He literally saved my cousin’s life. I often wonder what it’s like to be a person like George. To be so selfless and giving. To actually give a part of his body to another human being in order to save them. It brings tears to my eyes that there are actually people like this walking the earth. It deepens my faith in humanity.

I pray that there are more people like George in the world. I hope that Liz gets rescued by another amazing soul. She and her family are doing their part. They are staying strong, positive and working hard to bring awareness to this disease.

Liz isn’t just raising awareness for herself. PKD is genetic, her son Wyeth has a 50% chance of also having PKD.

Liz’s best chance for survival is a live donor. The average wait for a deceased donor kidney is 5 years!  If you or someone you know wants to help my friend,  you can support her walks for a cure or if it’s in your heart help her by donating a kidney. Liz’s blood type is A positive. She can receive a kidney by anyone with A positive, A negative, O positive and O negative.

To learn more about living kidney donation, follow this link,  Info on the transplant program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

I am participating in the Kidney Walk benefitting the National Kidney Foundation. I want to do my part to help my friend Liz get a life saving kidney and raise awareness. Today, I am asking you to support my fundraising efforts with a donation. Please click below to the National Kidney Foundation link, click on donate then search for my name Laila Sattar and donate to my team. Your help is much needed for this important cause.

Thank you!

Love you Liz!

National Kidney Foundation.