Kidney disease has had a significant impact on my family, both emotionally and practically. It started when my grandfather was diagnosed a few years ago. At first, the changes were small—he had to watch his diet, take medication, and go for regular checkups. But as his condition worsened, he needed dialysis several times a week. That’s when things really started to change for all of us.
My mom took on a lot of the responsibility. She would drive him to appointments, stay with him during treatments, and make sure he was eating properly. I could see how tired she was, but she never complained. The rest of us tried to help in little ways—cooking meals, doing errands, or just keeping my grandfather company. It became a team effort, and even though it was hard, it brought us closer together.
Emotionally, it was tough watching someone we love go through so much. My grandfather was always strong and independent, and seeing him hooked up to a machine, feeling weak, was difficult. He didn’t talk about his pain much, but we could see it in his eyes. There was a lot of quiet worry in the house, even on good days. We never knew if things would suddenly get worse.
Financially, it was also a burden. Even with insurance, the costs added up—gas for driving back and forth, time off work, and unexpected medical expenses. My family had to make sacrifices, but we managed. It taught us to value what we have and support one another without expecting anything in return.
One thing that changed for the better is how we approach health now. Everyone in the family is more careful—we drink more water, eat better, and go for regular checkups. We talk more openly about our health and support each other in making better choices. It’s like we’ve learned to take care of ourselves not just for our own sake, but for each other too.
Now, when I look at my family, I see resilience. We’ve faced something really difficult and found a way to keep going. We’ve cried, laughed, and leaned on each other through it all. Kidney disease changed our lives—but it also reminded us how strong love can be when it's tested.
Kidney disease has definitely left its mark on my family. It brought a lot of challenges, but it also brought us together. Through it all, we’ve learned how strong we can be when we support each other.
“Grandma, tell me that story about how you met Bob Marley”
“Tell me about Jamaica in the 80s again”
“Grandma, you did what?!”
Growing up, the number one way me and my grandmother bonded was by sitting down and listening to her eloquent stories. Through my grandmother’s storytelling, I became enamored with storytelling and wanted to tell my own stories. At the age of fourteen, I decided that I specifically wanted to tell my stories through filmmaking because anything is possible in a cinematic world. Years later, I am now a rising senior and film major at Spelman College. I am in the Spelman College honors program, director of over 15 short films, have been a finalist film director in numerous film festivals, fluent in three languages and I am Cum Laude at Spelman College.
My grandmother was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease right before the pandemic. We were told that she would need dialysis for the rest of her life because her body could not handle kidney transplant surgery. Seeing my grandmother constantly in pain, unable to come to family reunions, Thanksgivings, Christmases or my graduation ceremony left a hole in my heart. Very soon the only time I saw her was in hospitals where I always cried at how swollen her body was from the lack of blood flow. My grandmother soon passed away in 2023 and her passing was a devastation for our entire family. I cried every night asking God “Why did she have to leave the earth in so much pain?” While mourning her loss, the Spirit led me to use her passing as fuel to do something positive in someone else’s life.
My grandmother was the type of person to give you the clothes on her back when all she had was rags. I decided that I wanted to do something to channel my grandmother's generous and kind spirit after her passing by studying abroad. In 2023, I studied abroad for a semester in Accra, Ghana in Spring 2023 with New York University. At first, I was daunted by this opportunity since I did not have the financial means to fund this trip. Thankfully, my semester abroad experience was fully funded by applying for study abroad scholarships and the Pell Grant for low-income students. While abroad, I continued to tell stories through film and wrote the script for a film about the mass repatriation of Black Americans to Ghana. After this, I directed a movie about University of Ghana dance students triumphing over the challenges of a profession stigmatized in West African society.
My grandmother battling kidney disease has taught me that when you are experiencing hardships in life, you can still make a positive difference in others. Even while in the hospital in severe pain, unable to move and fearing when her last day would be, my grandmother always put a smile on my face when I saw her. I want to continue to put a smile on other’s faces with my career in film directing and screenwriting. The Caring for Carrie (C4C) Kidney Advocacy Scholarship will go toward my tuition which will help my journey of spreading awareness of kidney diseases and being a role model in filmmaking for the generation of young girls after me. I plan to tell stories about other families and individuals experiencing kidney-related illness and show their stories and resilience. The honor of receiving The Caring for Carrie (C4C) Kidney Advocacy Scholarship can make it possible for me to help the kidney health community through filmmaking.
