To The Person Who May One Day Save My Life
If you are reading this, I want you to know something first.
I am grateful to be alive.
There have been so many moments when being alive felt like something I had to fight for. So many hospital rooms. So many appointments. So many days spent connected to machines instead of living the life I wanted to live.
Most people probably think about going to the doctor every few months. Maybe once a month. You go, get checked, hear that everything is okay, and go home.
Imagine having to go several times a week.
Imagine having your life planned around treatments, appointments, dialysis, medications, procedures, and hospital stays.
Imagine watching other people live their lives while you are constantly trying to figure out when you will get the chance to live yours.
That has been my reality.
Kidney failure has taken pieces of my life that I wish I could get back.
It has taken time with my family.
It has taken opportunities.
It has taken days when I should have been making memories instead of sitting in a hospital.
It has taken the simple things that most people never have to think twice about.
Being able to wake up and just go somewhere.
Being able to make plans without wondering if my health will allow me to keep them.
Being able to spend an entire day with the people I love without having to leave for treatment.
Being able to work, dream, travel, laugh, make memories, and experience life without constantly thinking about my kidneys.
Those things may sound ordinary.
To me, they sound extraordinary.
And still, through all of this, I am here.
I am still hoping.
I am still dreaming.
I am still believing that there is more life waiting for me.
That is why I am searching for a kidney donor.
I know that asking someone to consider donating a kidney is asking for something incredibly personal. I know that you have your own family, your own responsibilities, your own fears, and your own life.
So I would never ask you to make this decision lightly.
But if you have ever wondered whether one person can truly change another person's life, I am living proof that they can.
Maybe that person is you.
Maybe you are my match.
Maybe you know someone who could be.
And maybe you simply found my story at the exact moment you were supposed to.
If you decide to learn more about becoming a living donor for me, please know that I am already grateful for you.
You do not have to promise me anything.
You do not have to feel pressured.
Even taking the time to learn about the process means something to me.
And if you are eventually selected as my donor, I honestly do not know if there will ever be enough words to explain what that would mean.
You would not simply be giving me a kidney.
You would be giving me time.
Time with my family.
Time to make memories.
Time to experience things I have missed.
Time to work toward my dreams.
Time to laugh without worrying about the next treatment.
Time to wake up and wonder what I want to do that day instead of wondering how I am going to get through it.
You would be giving me the possibility of a life that kidney failure has made so difficult to imagine.
And there is something else I want you to know.
If you become my donor, a part of you would forever be a part of my story.
Every birthday.
Every family gathering.
Every milestone.
Every laugh.
Every ordinary day that I once wished I could have.
I would know that someone made the ultimate decision to help me have those moments.
You would forever have a place in my heart.
And in the most literal way possible, a part of you would be living with me.
I would carry that gift with me for the rest of my life.
I don't know who you are yet.
I don't know where you are.
I don't know if you are reading this because you were searching for someone to help, because someone shared my story with you, or because somehow our paths were meant to cross.
But if you are here, thank you.
Thank you for hearing my story.
Thank you for thinking about me.
Thank you for considering helping me.
And if donating isn't something you can do, please don't think that means you cannot help.
Share my story.
Send this website to someone.
Talk about me.
Help us reach one more person.
Because somewhere out there may be the person who can give me this second chance.
I don't know what the future holds.
But I know what I hope for.
I hope for more mornings.
More laughter.
More time with my family.
More memories.
More dreams.
More life.
And maybe one day, I will be able to look back at this chapter of my life and say,
"I made it through."
To whoever helps me get there,
I may never be able to repay you.
But I promise you this:
I will never forget you.
You will forever be part of my story.
You will forever be in my heart.
And if you become my donor, you will quite literally become part of the life you helped save.
From the bottom of my heart,
Thank you for giving me hope.
Thank you for giving me a chance.
Thank you for believing that my life is worth saving.
With love and gratitude,
Antonio ♡