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Hello, My name is Michael Garcia. I'm 37, and I live in Temple, Texas, with my wife, Heather, and our 2 boys, Brandon, 11 and Benjamin, 5. I started my kidney journey 2 years ago when I had a blood pressure reading of 300/198. Doctors hospitalized me immediately, thinking I was going to crash at any minute. An ultrasound revealed that my veins were severely narrowed and probably had been for about 10 years. I was referred to a nephrologist, whom I saw following my release from the hospital. She prescribed some medication and determined that my kidneys had not been damaged. A year later, I had 2 major strokes--one at home in my sleep, and one during an MRI. They affected my memory, eye-hand coordination, eyesight, and ability to read and drive. I couldn’t recognize my wife or children, and I reverted back to speaking Spanish. And, my kidneys were severly damaged. Luckily, 2 weeks in a rehab facility helped me regain much of my functioning, such as walking, showering, feeding myself, and so on. My kidney functioning, however, was almost completely obliterated: I now have only 4%. As a result, I’m on home dialysis for 3.5 hours a day, 6 days a week that my wife administers for me. But dialysis can do only about 1/10th the work that a kidney can do. It's a short-term measure that keeps one alive temporarily.
For 12 years previous to the strokes, I’d worked a full-time night job stocking grocery shelves. My employer held my position open for me, and I was able to return to light-duty work after a month. I’ve since resumed my regular full-time duties and am overnight manager of stockers, but the physical labor--which would make anyone tired--leaves me exhausted. In order to live a normal life, I must have a kidney transplant.
I was also recently diagnosed with Moyamoya disease. It's a rare brain disease that causes the narrowing of the vessels in the base of the brain causing small strokes that progressively get worse. It's normally diagnosed in small children from countries in Europe and Japan, but now being discovered here more in the US. Brain surgery is recommended to reroute the vessels and prevent future strokes.
I have a living kidney donor that is waiting to donate to me, but the brain surgery MUST COME FIRST!
I'm in need of donations to help pay for the brain surgery and costs that accumulate from that and also to help pay for the kidney transplant that will hopefully be this year. Anti-rejections medications are very costly and will average around $1000-$1500 monthly.
Heather, Brandon, Benjamin, and I would like to spend many more years together. We thank you for reading my story and considering the possibility of donating any amount of money.
Sincerely, Michael
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