My transplant process began with filing out the paperwork with my advisor. Getting a transplant means I won't dialyze anymore. Transplants can last anywhere from 1-30 years. Therefore Ill be dealing with this all my life and there will be pills I have to take forever as well. Did you know? The National Living Donor Assistance Center provides financial support for travel to the Transplant Center for eligible living donors! Learn more by clicking each picture below.  View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Thank you for anyone who has supported me an ..read more

    A month after I started dialysis, I switched to Peritoneal Dialysis. It's a new adjustment because I did it myself everyday, multiple times a day. Hiccups happen and half way through May, my catheter decided to stop working. I had outpatient surgery on May 11th to replace the clogged peritoneal catheter. So, I was doing hemo-dialysis 3 times a week until my belly healed AGAIN.  This type of dialysis took up a lot of my time. I feel like all I did was dialyze and cook. I missed working. I missed being normal. Every week something new that popped up that I had ..read more

I was discharged from the hospital April 8th, 2017. I was in for 9 long days. I had surgery on April 6th to put a second dialysis port into my peritoneal cavity (my belly). Thanks to the drugs, the pain wasn’t too bad. Dialysis is something I had to do until I can get a kidney transplant. Its a long process to get a transplant, so it didn't happen over night. I had to take multiple tests with multiple doctors to make sure I’m relatively healthy enough to withstand a transplant. But if anyone could do this... I can. I did Hemo Dialysis 3 days a week lasting 4 hours at a time until my belly cat ..read more

I was given a chest catheter to begin Hemo-Dialysis March 31st, 2017, the day after being admitted to ICU. They numbed my chest so I didn't feel a thing, gratefully. My first treatment is where I met Gene, Davita tech, and Hang, Dialysis nurse. I will remember these two the rest of my life. They really helped me through the hardest time in my life. I'm a strange case and my body doesn't withhold water like most dialysis patients. Therefore my blood pressure didn't want to stay stable. I was quite sick after my first couple dialysis treatments. Hang was wonderful about understandin ..read more

"Is this normal?" She told me to show, Carmen, a medic on set that day. I had weird bruising all over my thighs. I didn't run into anything. I didn't play rough with the dogs. I justified it in my head as me being slightly anemic. Just add it to my other weird problems like being an overactive puker, headaches, and having a tingling sensation every now and again. It kept progressing and so I confided in my friend Angela for her opinion. I showed her a picture and asked, "Is this normal?". She told me to show, Carmen, a medic on set that day. He advised right away for me to get check ..read more

Hi there! My name is Johanna (silent H). I figured I should make an introduction.   an actress a filmmaker a dogmom a friend a lover a navigator a networker an adventurer single determined energetic optimistic confident (some days) silly sexy (not many days) kind, patient, & persistent  I work in film, I'm 29 years old and Im on dialysis.  The whole dialysis thing is still new to me. I was diagnosed end of March this year (2017). I haven't been able to work since because of the ups and downs my body has been going through. I've also been switching from Hemodialysi ..read more