Two years ago, doctors diagnosed Gloria Parra-Adame with kidney failure. She’s been on dialysis ever since, and doctors say in the last two months, they’ve been seeing positive results. To live a normal life again, they say she needs one thing: a new kidney.
“I tell everybody, we look pretty good cleaned up,” said Roberto Adame, Gloria’s husband.
They got married 18 years ago, but they say they’ve known each other since they were 5 years old.
“We don’t want to run out of time,” said Adame.
“(The doctor) said, you have stage four chronic renal failure. I said, ‘Stage four?! What happened to stage 1 2 and 3?’ He said, ‘I don’t know, it just came quick,'” said Gloria Parra-Adame.
Gloria has been living with this for years, and she says the change to her daily life is one of the hardest parts.
“My energy level is sometimes down. I have my good days and bad days. There were times I couldn’t even vacuum my own living room,” said Parra-Adame.
“To see her in pain or see her not being able to get up and do what she loves to do and I feel it sometimes,” said Adame.
Luckily, the dialysis helps Gloria survive.
“It’s just not a quality of life one wishes for,” said Adame.
That is why they’re trying to get the word out by wearing shirts that say, “Hero Needed. My Wife Needs a Kidney.”
Roberto said he would donate his own if he didn’t have diabetes.
“‘Til she walks out the hospital. And I’ll take the sign off when she walks out of the hospital,” said Adame.
But if Gloria doesn’t find a new kidney and can’t travel the world, Roberto says that’s OK because his world is right here by his side.
“We will continue to be happy together and try to enjoy as long as permitted, whatever the case may be,” said Adame.
If you’re interested in getting tested to see if you’re a match for Gloria, you can call Roberto at 806-319-3674.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, some qualifications you need to donate a kidney are:
- Good physical and mental health.
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- Must have a body mass index (BMI) that is less than 35.
- Must be free from the following: Uncontrolled high blood pressure. Diabetes. Cancer.