Bullock's BBQ owner wishes for a new kidney this Christmas

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Bullock's BBQ is a staple in Durham. For decades the community has supported them, but now they need more support than ever.

Angela Bullock said being at the family restaurant is her happy place. Greeting customers and working alongside her family-there's nowhere else she'd rather be.

"This is my home, my second home. I've been coming here since I was a little bitty girl to work with my dad. And our customers are like our family," Angela said.

But unfortunately, her time at the restaurant has become much more limited recently. Three days a week, Angela is hooked up to a dialysis machine.

"It takes a good four or four-and-a-half hours, depending on when you get on and when you get off. And there are a lot of things that come with it so it's a hard road," Angela said.

When Angela was just 12 years old, she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. She went into kidney failure but received a transplant and it worked for 23 years before she would need another transplant. But in November 2020, she was put back on dialysis. For the third time, she needs a kidney, but this time from a living donor.

"I know that God's will will be done so I pray. I'm a person of faith and I know it's in His hands," Angela said.

This Christmas, a transplant is Angela's only wish. But until then, she said she's feeling one thing:

"Gratitude for many things in my life. My mom, my dad, my family, my sister, my brother, my husband, my life. The transplants in the past that I had that I'm still here. And the hope that I'll get a new one," Angela said.

If you'd like to see if you could be a possible donor, you can call the Duke Transplant clinic at 919-613-7777 and give them Angela's name.