After 15 Years, Central Texas Woman Still Waiting For A Kidney DonorA Central Texas woman who’s been on dialysis since lupus destroyed her kidneys when she was a child says she remains hopeful that she’ll get the call that a donor has been found.
Reporter: By David Williams
Email Address: david.williams@kwtx.com
KILLEEN (April 23, 2010)—Jessica Englerth has been waiting for 15 years for a kidney.
She contracted lupus as a child, which destroyed her kidneys.
Since then she’s been on dialysis, waiting for a match.
"I'll just go on with my daily life until I get a call,” she said.
She’s on transplant lists across the state and one of the more than 7,000 Texans awaiting organ transplants, according to the group Donate Life Texas.
"People think they want to die with their organs, but there's people like me out there,” she said.
“I know there's somebody out there that matches me, but it's just whether people want to be a donor or not,” she said.
Glen Braschear received a kidney transplant nearly a decade ago and although he doesn’t know Englerth, he knows what she’s going through.
He’s made it his mission to spread awareness and encourage more Texans to become organ donors
"We need to have them aware of organ donation and be proactive about finding any information they can, before they need it,” he said.
"They don't understand what they'd be giving to someone who needs an organ,” he said.
“It changes people's lives when they receive the organ they're waiting for,” he said.
It’s a life-changing moment Englerth hopes will come soon.
"I'm at the top of the list. I just need that one for me,” she said.
Texas Organ Sharing Alliance Website
http://www.txorgansharing.org/index.phpDonate Life Texas Website
https://www.donatelifetexas.org/TXDear_Secure/Default.aspx Find this article at:
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/91974299.html
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