Help us Find a Kidney for Melissa

June, 2025

Dear Family & Friends

I’m writing to share an important update about my health and to humbly ask for your help.

As many of you know, I’ve been living with kidney failure for the past 14 months. My doctors have confirmed that I urgently need a kidney transplant to survive. While dialysis has previous helped keep me alive in the short term, it takes a heavy toll on my body—especially on my donor heart.

Everyday life has become increasingly difficult. I often don’t have the energy to care for my 2-year-old daughter, and it breaks my heart when I can’t be the mother and wife I long to be. This has been the most challenging time of my life, but I remain full of faith, hope, and determination. I know that with your help, I can overcome this.

A Living Kidney Donor Can Save My Life

A living kidney donation is not just a treatment—it is a cure. I have been blessed by the love and support of my family through past transplants:

• My mother Mary donated her kidney to me in 2006.

• My sister Sarah donated her kidney to a stranger in 2010 through the paired exchange program, as she wasn’t a match for me.

• My husband Travis and brother Andrew are medically unable to donate.

• My father is currently undergoing chemotherapy and is unable to donate as well.

 I’ve now registered with the National Kidney Registry (NKR), which offers one of the most advanced and hopeful programs in the country—“Kidney for Life.” This program uses cutting-edge DNA matching to help find the most compatible donor, with the goal of ensuring the kidney lasts a lifetime.

Even if a direct match isn’t possible, NKR offers a voucher program—a donor can give a kidney to someone in need, and in return, I receive a voucher that allows NKR to begin searching for my perfect match within their network of 103 transplant centers and thousands of potential donors.

What You Can Do

• Consider becoming a living kidney donor. Most people can live a full and healthy life with just one kidney. The donor surgery is typically laparoscopic, with a short recovery time of just about two weeks.

• Share my story. Just by spreading the word, you could help connect me with someone willing to give the gift of life.

Why use NKR:

NKR offers convenient scheduling, initial blood work at your home, easy registration process. Register as a donor and complete medical questionnaire on line.

Donor Care Network  - ensuring safe, convenient, and positive donation experience for all kidney donors, making surgery easier, and recovery easier. Select from 25 Donor Care Network Centers across the United States.

Lost wage reimbursement - Up to $2,000.00 per week up to 12 weeks.

Donor expense reimbursement - Up to $6,000 for cost of travel, accommodations, dependent care, and pet care.

High /Quality Transplant Centers: All NKR member centers adhere to strict standards for donor care.

Remote Donation - Donate and recover at a transplant center near your home.

Standard Voucher Program: - You can donate to an intended recipient (myself) even if you are not a match for me. 

For more information, please visit www.kidneyregistry.com/for-donors

If you should have any questions/concerns feel free to reach out to myself or a member of my family at 314 635-7332. 

Additionally, if you would like to speak with my mom or sister about their live kidney donation experience, please call 314 635-7332.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If donating a kidney is something you would like to consider, I would be happy to tell you more about my story and the process. You can also visit my NKR website www.nkr.org/UVB2 (on the above card) 

I know living donation may not be right for everyone-but you can still help me by sharing my story with everyone you know. I am hopeful my efforts will help me receive a kidney soon and encourage others to learn more about living donation to help others.

Words from Late Pope Francis - "Hope does not disappoint"

Deepest regards,

Melissa Witt and Family