CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Elizabeth Gutierrez was 16 years old when she first got sick. Doctors found her kidneys were scarred and shriveled, and she was diagnosed with FSGS, a condition that impairs kidney function and can lead to failure.
Now 33 with a young daughter, she is needing her third kidney transplant.
"I was 16 years old, it was in December of '08, and I had been feeling bad, like off and on for about 3 months, and then I think finally my mom realized like, ok, she really doesn't feel good," Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez spends three hours on dialysis three days a week. Last month, she spent seven days in the hospital.
Out of desperation to help his daughter, her father made a sign and taped it to the car, asking the community for help finding a donor.
"I had a pretty scary hospital stay last month, and after that I was just like, man, I'm so tired, so I was like, you know what, let's do it," Gutierrez said.
The response caught her off guard.
"I didn't even expect someone to take a picture of the car, and then scrolling Facebook and then I saw it and I was like, oh my gosh, and it's been overwhelming, I'm super grateful," Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez's first two transplants came from deceased donors. This time, she is hoping for something different.
"I'm praying to get a living donor because my other two are cadavers, so maybe that might make the difference of it having some longevity," Gutierrez said.
She says her motivation comes down to one person — her daughter.
"I feel I'm really doing all of this for her like I need to be brave for her," Gutierrez said.
Calls have been pouring in since the sign went up, and the family is now one step closer to finding a match.
Anyone interested in being tested as a potential donor can call the Methodist Healthcare donor hotline.
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