Toledo woman searches for a kidney donor

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - According to experts, someone on the list for an organ transplant in the U.S. can wait months, even years, to find a match.

Toledo woman, Leah Williams, is proof of that. She’s been waiting since 2022 for a living kidney donor.

“I want people to know how hard it is to go through this,” Williams said. “With mental health, you have to , kind of deal with this-you mourn your kidneys, you mourn a lifestyle you don’t have anymore.”

This is William’s second time on the organ search.

Williams said she smoked cigarettes for a long time and had Type 1 Diabetes.

In the summer of 2019, Williams had her first kidney transplant.

In 2021, Leah said she went into kidney failure and doctors were forced to take the transplanted kidney out.

As a result, Williams started dialysis in January 2022.

Williams said she spends her Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings getting treatment, each time hoping it will be her last.

“A lot of times, I keep myself goin by saying, this may be my last treatment,” Williams said. “You don’t know when they’re going to call. They may call tonight, they may call tomorrow morning.”

Kara Steele, the director of community services with Life Connection of Ohio, said that same anticipation is shared by thousands every day. Life Connection of Ohio is a non-profit that facilitates organ donation.

“Across the country there are over 100,000 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants, in Ohio there are about 2,500,” Steele said.

Steele added the wait times for an organ vary because donation isn’t something you can plan or predict.

According to Life Connection of Ohio, 16 people die everyday waiting for an organ transplant.

But, Williams, a wife and mother, is taking matters into her own hands. She turned her car into a moving billboard by adding a decal to her back windshield. The decal reads “I NEED A KIDNEY DONOR”.

“I’ve gotten a lot of attention for it,” Williams said.

The decal also has her email and Facebook page that people can reach out to.

“I’m hopeful, I really am especially when I started doing this and making the page,” Williams said. “A lot of people care, people comment.”

If you or someone you know is interested in donating, Leah is an A negative blood type, looking for a living donor. Her email is: Leahneedsadonor@gmail.com. Her Facebook is LEAH NEEDS A DONOR-KIDNEY.

Steele added if you’d like to become an organ donor or learn more, visit lifeconnection.org. She said the process is relatively simple.

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