22-year-old Stephanie Wolfe has been on Ohio’s kidney transplant list for four years.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Stephanie Wolfe is 22 years old. She loves to sing and dance, but unlike most people her age, her kidneys refuse.
“I’m easy to ventilate. So, for example, walking, doing a lot of things is not always the first option,” said Wolfe.
In 2018, she was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney disease.
“She has 15% use of her one tiny kidney that she has,” said Molly McCullough, Stephanie’s mother.
Stephanie goes on dialysis three times a week to keep it under control. So far 655 rounds.
“It was 13 hours a day connected to a car. In fact, I explain it to people that they take all her blood little by little, pass her through this big, huge car and then return it,” McCullough said.
Her friend Eddie Kidney helps her survive this. His name inspired the character in IT.
“In the movie, he was always sick and always took different medications and everything, and I take all kinds of medications,” Wolfe said.
Eddie and Stephanie are approaching four years on the Ohio transplant waiting list. Meanwhile, they are happy to attend concerts, but in difficult days, the connection between mother and daughter is important.
“She’s my partner in crime. She’s like my best friend. So when I think about her being gone or what’s going on with her, I try not to stop there,” McCullough said.
There are 90,032 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant across the country, and 2,203 in Ohio.
Patients with end-stage renal disease have three treatment options: dialysis, a kidney transplant from a deceased donor, or a kidney transplant from a living donor.
You can begin the evaluation process to become a living kidney donor by filling out Online Health History Questionnaire. Upon completion, your information will be reviewed by our team. If you are a potential candidate, one of our members of the living donor team will contact you directly.
