A letter of gratitude to someone whose generosity has forever touched my life.
It's been a little while since I've shared an update. The last time I wrote, I was in Italy, embracing new adventures, meeting new people, and learning to follow the things that light me up.
These past few months have brought more adventures, some difficult moments, plenty of uncertainty, and a beautiful reminder that life continues to unfold in ways we could never imagine.
And today, I have a very special story to share with you.
There is someone whose life has become forever connected to mine.
Her name is Melissa.
What's especially beautiful about this story is that Melissa and I didn't personally know each other. Years ago, she was a student of my mom and stepdad. Our lives were connected in a small way long before either of us could have imagined what that connection might one day mean.
We met for the very first time in August, shortly after I returned home from Italy. I had no idea then just how much this one connection would come to mean to me.
When you are waiting for a kidney transplant, you become aware of something most people rarely think about: the extraordinary gift of organ donation.
It is a gift that asks for courage.
It asks for compassion.
And it asks someone to give a part of themselves so that another person might live more fully.
That kind of generosity is difficult to comprehend.
A few months ago, Melissa stepped forward to be tested as a living kidney donor. While, I was in Italy, after months of appointments, testing, and evaluations, she received the wonderful news that she was medically cleared to donate.
But then we learned we weren't a direct match.
What could have been the end of the story became the beginning of something even more extraordinary.
Melissa learned about the voucher program. Ultimately, she chose the voucher program because she realized she could help two people.
One gift. Two lives touched.
Here's how it works.
Instead of donating her kidney directly to me, Melissa could donate to someone who needed a kidney now and was a compatible match. In return, I would receive a voucher through the National Kidney Registry.
This voucher means that when I'm medically ready for my transplant, I can receive priority in the search for a compatible living donor kidney through the Registry's network of participating transplant centers.
Before this, I was waiting on the deceased donor transplant list, where finding a kidney could take years. Now, thanks to Melissa, I have another path forward through the living donor exchange network.
It doesn't mean I have a kidney waiting for me quite yet, and it doesn't guarantee when my transplant will happen. But it gives me access to a much larger network of potential living donors and priority in the matching process.
And that's an extraordinary gift.
On November 5, 2026, Melissa donated her kidney. Her kidney went to a teenage boy in Minnesota. Someone who needed a kidney now, while her generosity also helped create a new opportunity for me.
I think about that day and the beautiful ripple effect of her decision. Somewhere in Minnesota, a young boy was receiving the gift of a kidney, while here in Pennsylvania, I was feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude and hope for my own future.
She helped someone receive a kidney today while giving me greater hope for tomorrow.
And there's something else about Melissa that I want you to know.
Throughout this journey, she has been one of my biggest cheerleaders. She encouraged me to embrace my adventures, to travel to Italy and Costa Rica, and to keep doing the things that bring me joy.
She never wanted me to put my life on hold while waiting for a kidney.
In fact, she told me that was part of why she wanted to do this in the first place.
She wanted to help me keep living.
Not just someday, after a transplant. But now. To travel, explore, learn new things, meet new people, and experience all the beauty life has to offer.
And that is something I will carry with me forever.
Melissa has given me something I didn't realize how deeply I needed.
Peace of mind.
There are still unknowns ahead. I don't know when my transplant will happen or exactly how this next chapter will unfold. But knowing that someone has stepped forward and helped create a path toward my future has lifted an enormous weight from my heart.
And I want to acknowledge the many people who have helped bring me to this moment. Every person who has shared my story, offered encouragement, or taken the extraordinary step of being tested as a potential donor. Your kindness has meant more than I can ever express. I am incredibly grateful for this village of people walking alongside me.
Living with kidney disease has changed the way I think about time, health, community, and the quiet ways our lives intersect with one another.
But perhaps the most profound realization has been this: sometimes the greatest acts of kindness happen simply because someone chooses to say yes.
Some time ago, I created a piece of stained glass for my future living donor. At the time, I didn't know who that person would be or how our paths might cross. I simply wanted to create something with my own hands that represented all the hope they had given me. A little piece of light, color, and gratitude for someone who hadn't even entered my life yet.
And now, that hope has a name.
Melissa.
I don't know if I'll ever find the words to fully express what your gift means to me.
But I hope you know this.
Your decision matters more than you may ever fully realize.
And I hope to honor your generosity by continuing to live with gratitude, curiosity, and an open heart. To care for the life I've been given, to follow what lights me up, and to never take for granted the extraordinary kindness that has brought me to this moment.
There is someone whose life has become forever connected to mine.
And how incredibly lucky I am that I get to know her.
With Love,
Missy
To Learn More about the voucher program visit https://www.kidneyregistry.com/for-centers/voucher-program/
