Sometimes we are strong because it is the only choice we have. Eight years ago, at just 26 years old, I found myself lying in an Intensive Care Unit facing total kidney failure. With my native kidneys functioning at a mere 2% capacity, I was thrust into a terrifying whirlwind of emergency dialysis and multiple blood transfusions. I was scared out of my own skin, staring down a bleak and uncertain future, wondering what kind of life I could possibly carve out while tethered to a machine. Refusing to let despair dictate my story, I decided to take my survival into my own hands. In April 2019, I started a Facebook page with a dual mission: to find a living kidney donor and to raise awareness about the quiet devastation of kidney disease. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. In less than two weeks, the page went viral. A stranger stumbled across my plea, and that very night, she signed up to be tested. She looked so perfect on paper that the transplant team flew her from California to Colorado for final evaluation. She was a perfect match. Receiving a kidney transplant didn't just save my physical body; it completely transformed my identity and purpose. Having a second chance at life because of the sheer selflessness of a stranger instilled a deep, unshakeable sense of duty within me. I realized that the ultimate way to honor her gift was to dedicate my life to the service of others when they are at their most vulnerable. Driven by this new purpose, I plunged headfirst into Emergency Medical Services. Through every physical trial and tribulation of post-transplant recovery, I pushed my body and mind to the limit. I successfully obtained my EMT-Basic, Basic Life Support (BLS), IV therapy, and Advanced EMT (AEMT) certifications. Most recently, I pushed my boundaries even further by becoming a wildland firefighter, working under grueling conditions that my 26-year-old self in the ICU never could have dreamed possible. Living with a chronic medical condition and navigating a major organ transplant has profoundly influenced who I am as a clinician. When I step onto an engine or into the back of an ambulance, I don't just see a patient; I see myself. I remember the exact terror of losing control over my own health. This lived experience allows me to provide a level of deep, hard-earned empathy and advocacy that cannot be taught in a textbook. This fall, I am taking the next major step in my journey by entering paramedic school. My goal is to combine advanced clinical expertise with my intimate understanding of patient vulnerability to serve my community at the highest possible level: as a flight medic on a helicopter. I will never be able to fully repay the now sister who saved me, but I will spend every day honoring her sacrifice with relentless gratitude, unwavering service, and the absolute fullest life I can live.

In June 2018, I found myself in the Denver Health Emergency Room in Denver, Colorado, pale as a ghost, answering a slew of questions from the doctor, with IVs in both arms and staff with mouths agape at what part of my body was failing. This, after several months of weird, seemingly unconnected symptoms such as full-body cramps, a tongue that turned entirely white and was peeling from the sides, six near-syncope episodes in just three days, and finally auditory hallucinations, led to the not-so-mysterious diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease. My native kidneys were working at a mere two percent total, because of how small they were -- each only about three centimeters in diameter -- and how much scar tissue they had developed. I was only 26. It felt like a death sentence. My diagnosis was, in fact, quite the opposite. Within the next two years, I had moved home to Colorado Springs, attained a phlebotomy certificate, received a kidney transplant while still in school from a living unrelated donor I found on social media, and started EMT-Basic school. My ultimate goal is to be a flight medic on a helicopter, serving the most critical patients. I have had several complications since transplant – including a diagnosis of post-transplant diabetes and arthritis, both likely due to the anti-rejection meds – but I have managed to work in Emergency Medical Services fairly consistently and am returning to school in the Spring of 2025 to attain my Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Certificate. As someone who deals with several chronic illnesses and who is also a medical provider, I am in a unique position to understand what patients are dealing with from both the emotional standpoint and the scientific standpoint. Living with chronic illnesses - autoimmune or otherwise - is no easy feat. Oftentimes it takes nearly all of our energy just to survive, let alone to function at the same level as someone who does not deal with chronic illness. Balancing rest with the effort it takes to thrive is a whole different level of superhero. It has now been almost five-and-a-half-years since my transplant, and in that time I have also volunteered with a county fire department and at a local hospital, worked in 911 dispatch for the city ambulance company, and attained an Associates in General Studies (entirely by accident, I just like to learn). Most recently I also had the privilege of educating fellow EMS providers about kidney disease, kidney health, and organ donation at the Colorado State EMS annual conference. My kidney journey is my biggest asset, and EMS is an unexpected calling and my entire purpose in life. I am grateful for every day I get to serve patients with the love and respect we all deserve.