My name is Debra Phillips, and I need a kidney.
** My blood type is A, and I can receive from ALL A AND O blood types**
I am in stage 5 kidney failure as a result of diabetes. I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease in July 2011, and my health has declined since. Despite following my doctor’s diet and medication orders, I have lived on dialysis 3 times a week since August 2013. The affect kidney disease has had on my life has been an about face. I was a hairdresser for 35 years and had to quit due to the exhaustion I was feeling. I sadly, but fondly, remember my last day of work in April 2013. My kidney disease progressed much faster than I could have ever imagined, and I had fistula surgery, to prepare my body for a life on dialysis, in May 2013. I had been an active person all my life and was the main caregiver for both my parents and in-laws during their illnesses. This illness hit me 1 year after I lost my mom to pancreatic cancer. The past 3 years have been hard. Dialysis has given me back a little “normal” on the days I am not being treated, but I can see, and feel, how my body has slowly broken down. For me to receive the gift of a kidney transplant would mean I could enjoy my Grandkids everyday and actually be able to keep up with them. When I was first diagnosed with kidney disease, I never thought I could ask someone to give me one of their kidneys, but after being on dialysis for this past year, I pray daily for GOD to grant me the beautiful gift of a Kidney.
I have a wonderful family that is very supportive of me. My husband, Dennis, is my best friend and great caregiver. He hoped to be my living donor but was denied as a donor due to his own health issues, and our children are not a matching blood type. I have 2 granddaughters and a newborn grandson, and I pray that I am able to enjoy every precious moment with them that I did with my children.
My Blood type is A. I can receive a kidney from types A and O – both negative and positive!
Contact: Barbara O’Neal, RN (Piedmont Hospital) BSN 404-605-4128
I have been on the Transplant list since July 2013.