KATE'S STORY
Hi! My name is Kate Callahan and I’m 26 years old. I live in the Bay Area and work as a nurse in San Francisco. I love traveling, trying new cuisines, staying active, and hanging out with my friends. I may not look sick but I am in trouble.
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I have a genetic kidney disease called Polycystic Kidney Disease, or PKD. I inherited the disease from my dad, who inherited it from his father. PKD causes cysts to form on your kidneys, which over time causes the kidneys to grow large and fail.
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​Sometimes I am in pain and lately, I am very tired since my kidneys are now working at just 20%. Some people with PKD do not have kidney failure until they are older, but I have an aggressive form of the disease. I was recently told that my kidney function is so low that I need to start to plan for a kidney transplant.
I have been placed on the kidney transplant list at UCSF Transplant Center but the wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is currently 7-9 years!​​
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This is me at the University of Portland School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony.
My doctors are encouraging me to find a living kidney donor as this is my best chance at long term survival of this horrible disease.
Many people are not aware that you only need to have 1 kidney to live a full, healthy life. If I am not able to find a donor, the only other option is dialysis which for a young active person like me would be a terrible thing.
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A living kidney donation will give me the best outcome as data shows they last almost twice as long as kidneys transplanted from a deceased person and I could receive the kidney before I’m in complete kidney failure.
I am reaching out to friends, family and community at large to share my story. I hope that I can find people who are willing to learn more about kidney donation and consider giving me the “gift of life”.
