Hi. My name is Ximena Howell. I’m a wife, mother, and sister, and up until now I've led a very private life. So, for me, making this video is really hard. But I’m doing this because I’m sick and in urgent need of a kidney transplant.

Over twenty years ago I was diagnosed with a kidney disease called IgA Nephropathy. Doctors still don’t know what causes it, but it usually progresses slowly. So up until now I’ve lived a very blessed life. I’m married to my best friend who, believe it or not, I met in elementary school, and I have a son and daughter that I love more than life itself. Outside of my job in healthcare, I enjoy watching the Yankees and Steelers, going to concerts, traveling, and just being with family.

With medication and a healthy diet, I’ve been able to delay the progression of the disease. But now I’m fatigued and closer than ever to having to start dialysis. Having worked for a dialysis company, I can tell you that it’s really debilitating. It does a fraction of what a kidney does. It extends your life for a period of time, but it’s no way to live.

The gift of life from a living kidney donor would potentially allow me to avoid dialysis altogether. I could keep working, keep making memories with the people I love, and maybe one day be a grandparent.

It would save my life. I would be so grateful if you shared my story. Thank you.