Kidney For Katrina: Mom in need of transplant spreads message while raising awareness
Katrina Paschall was diagnosed in 2006 with chronic kidney disease and has been on dialysis since August 2017.
"My specific disease is what they call idiopathic, so kind of just came out of nowhere," Paschall explained.
Paschall has been on the transplant list at Duke for the past five years and as she waits for a life-changing call, she is working to spread her message around her hometown of Stem and anywhere else she travels.
"So right now, my family and I have started kind of just my campaign," she said. "We've got the Facebook page, Kidney For Katrina, and my family, all have T-shirts at home. And we put up yard signs in my parent's yard, in my yard, just kind of in the neighborhood. We have car decals for all of my family so everyone's kind of riding around with the decal on their window to let people know that, where they can call to donate. And I do have a GoFundMe page because I do work full time, and so, I have insurance but insurance doesn't cover you know, other bills like mortgage and utilities and things of that nature that I would need to just be OK and not have to worry about when transplant time comes because I'll have to be out of work for at least three or four months."
Working full time and caring for her 10-year-old son, Paschall also has to manage daily dialysis each night for nine hours. Her condition has led to numerous hospital stays in the past few years because of complications with dialysis and infections.
She hopes to raise awareness about becoming a living donor so more people will consider giving the ultimate gift to those in need while staying optimistic that day will come for her, too.
"I'm in need of a kidney, you know, to continue to live and be here for my son and just thrive and live somewhat of a normal life," Paschall said. "It's difficult but, you know, I try to stay positive and say 'it's going to happen when it's supposed to happen, so I just do what I'm supposed to do and keep going."
