Two Sisters. One Fight. One Gone Too Soon.
It all begins with an idea.
My sister Cathy began battling Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) at just 24. She went through dialysis, two kidney transplants, the first one failed, and unimaginable complications. At 35, her kidneys stopped filtering. Her abdomen, fingers, and toes turned black as her body struggled to stay alive.
The team at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, performed a life-saving surgery, removing dying tissue and pulling her back from the edge.
But the battle never really ended. Cathy fought for years until a sudden heart attack took her life at 45. I still can’t believe she’s gone. My brave, beautiful sister is gone.
And then, just one year after her death, I started my own fight.
The fatigue, dizziness, and chest pressure doctors brushed off at first. But something in me knew. Maybe because I had seen it before. After pushing for answers, tests began to show signs of kidney dysfunction. My eGFR dropped, my kidneys showed mild atrophy, and I began facing the very same storm Cathy had weathered for years.
CKD doesn’t always give loud warnings. Sometimes it creeps in silently until it’s almost too late.
💔 Cathy didn’t get the time she deserved.
💚 But I’m still here. And I will fight. For her. For me. For anyone else who is still being dismissed.
Please pay attention to the signs: fatigue, swelling, pain, changes in urine color despite adequate fluid intake, dull pain in the back and lower abdomen, and abnormal labs. Kidney disease is often invisible until it isn’t.
#CKDAwareness #KidneyWarrior #InMemoryOfCathy #GoneTooSoon #OrganDonationSavesLives #ChronicIllnessAwareness #OwlfredHealth #SistersInThisFight #Nephrology #HeartAndKidney #GrantMedicalCenter #chronicillnesswarriors #PatientVoicesMatter #POTS #inmemoryofCathy #