Chazley Williams was 30 years old, newly wed and working on her master’s degree when she was added to the transplant waiting list for a kidney transplant.
In 2015, Chazley was diagnosed with stage 2 Chronic Kidney Disease. As her condition progressed and an issue with her diabetes resulted in hospitalization, Chazley was put on emergency kidney dialysis in 2019, and later began at home peritoneal dialysis1. Her home became her medical facility, and Chazley had to be hooked up to a machine 8 hours a night for 7 days a week. Her husband and a friend got trained to help with her dialysis, but ultimately she would need a transplant to survive.
A Lifesaving Gift
After Chazley opened up about her health issues in one of her online classes, her professor made the decision to become a living donor. In November 2020, one year after she was added to the national transplant waiting list, Chazley’s professor gave her the lifesaving gift of a new kidney.
Because of her professor’s decision to be a living donor, Chazley was able to finish her master’s degree, and she and her husband have the freedom to travel now that she no longer relies on dialysis every day.
“Registering as a donor is a miracle that not only saves someone else’s life but can change yours by blessing someone too!” Chazley says.
Today, Chazley and her husband are major advocates for organ donation. She is currently working on co-authoring a guidebook for women fighting chronic illness and autoimmune disease and works to educate others and raise awareness about organ donation. Chazley recognizes her transplant as a blessing and is grateful for her professor’s decision to be a living donor, a decision that saved her life.
1 Peritoneal Dialysis is blood filtration to help the kidney functions (dialysis) that is done through a tube in the abdomen.
