Family hopes kindness of strangers will lead to kidney donation

A family in Rochester is hoping for the gift of life, a kidney donation. It’s been more than a year since August Williams was diagnosed with end stage renal disease.

The 23-year-old has nearly zero kidney function.

“I’m hanging in there, trying (to) wait for a kidney but I hope it comes soon,” he said.

Williams has been relying on sports as an outlet since his diagnosis in March 2019. He’s part of a 30-member Special Olympics team in the Rochester area.

“Softball, basketball, floor hockey and golf,” he said. “It makes me happy, keeps me busy, makes my day go by faster.”

He’s considered high-risk for contracting COVID-19, however, which means he’s currently limited to just golf. Still, he is keeping his spirits up as his family hopes for a match.

“As a mom, you want to fix everything for your kids, you want to make sure it’s OK and just make everything better,” said Annette Goodman, his mother. “As a mom, this is something I can’t do so it’s a challenge and it’s hard.”

She only has one kidney so she is unable to donate.

Williams was born with kidney dysplasia, a malformation of the kidneys.

“He had about 30% function in one kidney and about 5% function in the other,” she said.

His parents knew he might need a donor down the road but his kidneys kept up with his growth for years. He was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure after an annual exam in March 2019.

It happened at a time they couldn’t have prepared for.

“Our dad was going to be his kidney donor and he passed away and literally a week later we found out [August] was in end-stage renal failure,” said Brooklyn Williams, his sister. “You just feel hopeless like this wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

He was added to the UNOS transplant list and started peritoneal dialysis. It’s a treatment to remove waste from the blood and maintain safe levels of nutrients, including potassium and sodium, according to the National Kidney Foundation. It can also help control blood pressure.

Initially, Williams had dialysis for eight hours each day. His family expected the treatment would give them another six or seven years to find a donor.

“We sat down a week and a half ago and the numbers have continued to decline and it’s a scary thing,” said Brooklyn Williams.

His family told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Williams’ kidney function has exponentially declined, now requiring 24-hour dialysis treatment. They don’t know how much longer it will work.

“It’s just come on sooner than what we’ve thought,” said Goodman. “It’s something where there isn’t a cure, the only cure the only help is a transplant at this stage.”

As of this week, more than 91,000 people are waiting for a kidney donation in the United States, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network database under the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

“Obviously the need is much greater than the supply,” said Brooklyn Williams.

She was not a match. Family and close friends were also tested but none have been able to donate. They have not found a match on the transplant list either.

Brooklyn decided to put out a call on social media. Her Facebook post alone has been viewed more than 25,000 times.

“The response has been overwhelming,” she said.

They hope that by sharing August’s story they will find a match.

“Anybody who has been through this journey knows it’s a rollercoaster of emotions in terms of getting your hopes up that maybe there’s someone and then there’s not, and then there is, and then there isn’t,” she said. “Overall, a kidney would save his life.”

They also hope it will help raise awareness of the need for organ donors.

“You have to put faith in the greater powers and all of that and know that at some point everything will be OK,” said Goodman. “We did this because obviously of August but if our story can help other people as well, that’s an even larger gift than we ever could’ve thought possible.”

If you are interested in donating an organ, there is a Mayo Clinic donor evaluation form to fill out. An initial screening follows and then there is a blood test.

Goodman said they look at both blood type and genetic markers to determine whether someone will be a good match. There is also a physical examination and psychological evaluation of the donor. The process can take weeks, according to the family.

They hope to have a match for August by Christmas.

Here is a link to Mayo Clinic’s Living Donor Transplantation website.

Additional information about kidney donations can be found on the National Kidney Foundation website or the UNOS webiste for more information about living donations.