'She cared so much, and she didn't even know me.'
Soul MatesErin Francis was just five-years-old when she started complaining of joint pain. A trip to the hospital led to a diagnosis ofHer parents were told that HSP could potentially cause kidney issues down the line and, when she was 12-years-old, she started getting struck down withErin, 31, from Philadelphia, USA, says: ‘Doctors confirmed I had some type of kidney issue – but they didn’t really know what. From then, I was monitored once every four months.
Erin says: ‘I was sent to get an emergency biopsy and that’s when my world turned upside down. I was told my kidneys were so scarred and shrunken they looked like the size of walnuts. I needed to be put on dialysis and on a transplant list as soon as possible. ‘Between June and September, my health was declining. I had a lot of trouble breathing and intense swelling in my legs and ankles – I couldn’t even walk up the stairs in my house.
Desperate for a transplant, Erin’s family were tested, as were her closest friends, but no one was a match.It was Erin’s husband, Rich, who took their plight to Facebook, sharing a post looking for donors. Erin says: ‘I was reluctant to put my story out there, but we were running out of options.’She says: ‘You see so many things online – lots of them sad – but you don’t always feel connected or like you need to take action.
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