Woman seeks donor as she faces Kidney failure | Life

Kristina Johnson was 18 years old when she was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. Now, 13 years later, her kidneys have lost nearly all of their ability to function effectively. She is looking for a kidney donor who can help return her life to normalcy.

According to Johnson, she has been diabetic since she was a toddler – constantly craving water and sweets – but was never diagnosed until she was a young adult.

“I just had doctors that didn’t care,” she said. “I finally found one who listened to me and listened to what I was saying about my cravings. She asked if I had ever been tested for diabetes.”

Johnson stated that the disease runs on both sides of her family.

As she read off the results of the testing, Johnson’s doctor revealed that Johnson’s A1C (a blood test that measures a person’s average blood glucose, or blood sugar, level over a three-month period) was 18.6 percent.

A 5.7 percent is considered normal and type 2 diabetes is diagnosed if the A1C exceeds 6.5 percent.

“I have just gone downhill since then,” Johnson shared. “Since my diagnosis in 2009, I started feeling worse. I started getting stomach ulcers which then started bleeding, then I got anemia from the loss of blood. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and I feel fatigued constantly.”

As her condition worsened, Johnson had to start dialysis treatments, which remove excess water, toxins, and solutes from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do so on their own.

Her first treatment was Valentine’s Day of 2017.

While Johnson’s dialysis treatments are in Beckley, at least once a month she must travel three and a half hours to the University of Virginia to discuss her possible kidney transplant.

After three years of dialysis treatments, she was finally placed on the transplant waiting list May 15. Receiving a kidney through the list alone could take up to three years.

“It is easier to find a kidney donor than it is to wait on the list,” Johnson said, adding the guidelines that the donated organ must follow.

“The doctors recommend that the person has no major health problems like heart disease, the kidney has to be viable and of course no drugs or smoking or anything like that,” she said. “I need O negative blood type.”

After finding a donor, the doctors will conduct a biopsy to see if Johnson’s blood and tissue type match with the donor’s.

A kidney transplant can take anywhere from two and a half to six hours depending on the patient and if there are any complications during the operation.

“If my body doesn’t reject it, I should be fine,” Johnson said. “I’m so excited that I have the possibility of having my life back – to not be tired all the time and to not have to watch what I do because of my dialysis port. I want to work on getting a house, having a family – the typical stuff. I’m on hold right now and I just want to move forward.”

Johnson currently resides in Mount Hope with her husband, who helps take her to and from appointments, makes sure her port is cleaned properly and helps her around the house.

“He is my health care partner,” Johnson said, laughing. “He helps me a lot.”

As she anxiously awaits a donor, Johnson says she is a little apprehensive about the whole process and does not feel as prepared as she would like.

“I could have a kidney tomorrow and I know what will happen, but this is all a learning process,” she said. “It’s scary. I am restricted on where I can go and taking trips while I wait in case they call me with a kidney and I don’t have service, so I just feel stuck. Getting a new kidney is number one on my list. It will make me free again.”