DONOR | Nicolas's Story

Nicolas Marquina

LIVING Kidney DONOR NEEDED

"I look forward to the day that I’m not tired, unwell and can live my life to the fullest."

Friends, my name is Nick, I am 37 years old and I have end-stage kidney disease. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two boys aged 18 and 11. After living several years with high blood pressure, I developed kidney disease and now my kidneys are no longer able to work as they should to meet my body's needs. I am writing today to ask for help.

Living with hypertension (high blood pressure) has been tough on my family and I. My hypertension causes me to have panic and anxiety attacks which feel debilitating and having kidney failure has rapidly made my health much worse. In order to live, I attend dialysis three times a week for 4 hours. Dialysis is hard on my body because I feel too drained after my sessions. I have ended up in the hospital countless times after my dialysis sessions. Even worse, the dialysis schedule makes it hard for my family and I to spend time together. I've had to quit doing the thing I loved the most which was being a soccer coach. I have such a passion for it but my current state makes it impossible for me to continue executing my love for it . My 18 year old son is a high skilled soccer player who travels to different states and countries but sadly I’m no longer able to travel watch him play and this is the biggest way this disease has affected my life.

A Living kidney donation would help me get off of dialysis and return to living a healthier life. It would bring back energy to my life and I could start regaining time with my family. I look forward to the day that I’m not tired, unwell and can live my life to the fullest.

The reason I am writing to all of you is because I am in need of someone to donate a kidney to me. A living donor is my best chance for survival. What most people don’t know is that you only need one kidney to live a healthy life! I would appreciate it if you would consider donating your kidney and/or sharing this post to get the word out for me far and wide. That would mean so much! Thank you all for your time.

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Become Nicolas Marquina's Donor

If you are considering being a living donor please use links below to contact Nicolas Marquina's Transplant Center. Begin by completing the donor questionnaire

Fill Out DONOR Questionnaire
(INQUIRES ARE 100% CONFIDENTIAL)

Becoming a Kidney DONOR Find a Transplant Center near you

Johns Hopkins Hospital

1800 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD, 21287

(410) 614-9345 Email Transplant Center

Did you know?

Medical expenses for living organ donors are 100% covered, and inquires from potential donors are 100% confidential! Contact the Transplant Center to learn more about living donation.

More Donor FAQs

Share the Importance of Living Donation

There are currently 120,000 people waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in the U.S. Of these, 100,000 await kidney transplants.

The median wait time for a kidney transplant is 3-5 years and can vary depending on health, compatibility, and where you live.

In 2014, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the U.S. Of these, 11,570 came from deceased donors and 5,537 came from living donors.

Every 14 minutes someone is added to the kidney transplant waitlist.

A kidney from a living donor lasts longer and begins functioning more quickly than a kidney from a deceased donor.

In 1995, kidney donation became minimally invasive with a procedure called laparoscopic nephrectomy, which only requires four small incisions. Hospital stay is typically only 3 days after this operation.

Not blood type compatible with your recipient to be a living donor? Kidney Paired Donation (the “kidney swap” program) enables incompatible candidates with a living donor to receive a kidney from a compatible donor.

Last year, over 700 living donor kidney transplants occurred using Kidney Paired Donation.

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