Isaiah Jenkins' Kidney Fund

Hello, everyone my name is Isaiah Jenkins I’m 26 years old and I’m in need of a kidney transplant. Growing up I always had to deal with obstacles. Since Birth the doctor told my mother that I wasn’t supposed to live past five months. At one month old my heart stopped due to asthma. I was incubated at 8 months when my heart stopped again. I’ve slowly gone through life understanding that I’ve been put on this earth for a reason. When I was 9 years old a pit-bull had bitten me on my left leg. The dog bit through the nerve and pierced the flesh so deep that I was able to see my bone. At the time I was on the heavier side. It was a blessing in disguise because the doctors told me if I were smaller my leg would have needed to be amputated. This was only the beginning. I went on through life and found yet another hill I had to climb. When I was 14 years old I found out that I had gotten a kidney disease by the name of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). I found out by having random nosebleeds, coke cola colored urine, and blood in my urine. During a three-day span I lost nearly 20 pounds. I ended up meeting a PEDS kidney doctor by the name of Dr. Kaskel, he put me in a trial for a few years and lucky my kidneys went into remission. At this point I thought I would be able to live a somewhat normal life as a teenager but no it wasn’t god’s plan. During my junior year in high school I was finishing class when I had a seizure for the first time. Yes, back to the hospital. I had symptoms of something called Arnold Chiari Malformation, which caused my cerebral and spinal fluids to mix, which there fore created a type of electric shock to my brain causing me to have the seizures. My skull was putting pressure on the lower part of my brain so the doctors had To go in and perform brain surgery to trim the skull down to relieve the pressure from my brain. Honestly at that time during the recovery I almost gave up but I didn’t I had to be home schooled to take regents and other exams just so I can graduate from high school on time and I did. I felt like I was finally out in the clear getting ready to start college and put all my health issues behind me but no God put me through yet another test. My second year in college I had to have the same neurosurgery again because I went through a growth spurt which then caused my skull to grow back. Things really became overbearing at the time and I started getting addicted to pain killers I stopped caring because I felt I was actually cursed. It was a point during that time I really questioned my existence, however I found a way to pull through. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and stopped taking painkillers. I managed to get my associates degree in liberal arts. I bounced back yet again on this health rollercoaster. I can say after that I had a few years of peace until about 3 years ago when I started having seizures more frequently. One day I had a seizure on the train in Manhattan while coming home from then my job in New Jersey. When I woke up I was in the hospital they said I almost fell on the train tracks.  Later I was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy. I began to get treated for that then eventually the seizures subsided. I know by now you guys are probably thinking “damn what else can possibly go wrong with this kid?” Well it’s funny that you asked, here’s the reason I’ve decided to open my life to the world and why I decided to made this go fund me page. Up until about two weeks ago I’ve been doing great. I had been working two great jobs, gotten my license and a whole lot of other wonderful things god has blessed me with recently. Until one day I came home from work took a nap then when I woke up my face, tongue, mouth, eyes, and jaw were numb and swollen. The first thing I thought was “hey it’s just an allergic reaction.” so I went to the hospital but, boy was I wrong. Come to find out my kidneys were out of remission and I had to get a kidney biopsy. The results of the kidney biopsy showed that my kidneys were only functioning at about 13 - 20 % and that was about 2 weeks ago. Last week my test results showed that it had dropped to 9% kidney function. I’ve never complained about any of my illnesses or what I’ve been through throughout my almost 27 years of being on this earth but I think now is the best time for me to ask for some help. Although I’ve gotten this far I cannot overcome this obstacle alone. I am Isaiah Jenkins a 26-year-old adult from the Bronx, NY. My Birthday Is October 12, 1991 one and I’m a Libra that writes, records, and engineers music during my free time. I’m just a regular person like anyone else that growing up dealt with weight issues and found ways to succeed at anything I put my mind too. I went from 246 pounds to 167 in 8 months so I want you all to know I am a fighter and a survivor. My blood type is O positive and I am in dire need of a kidney transplant. I’ve never been a quitter and I don’t plan on quitting now, why should I since I’ve made it this far? They say God doesn’t put u in any situation that you cannot handle and I’ve been fighting this battle my whole life, which tells me that I’m destined to be here for a reason. God has given me a purpose I don’t know how long I may have left but I will make sure that every second counts while I’m still here. I know I have a calling and I need to be on this earth to find out what it is. Any donation that you can make will help. All proceeds given will go towards my medical fees, research, and any other efforts toward me receiving a kidney transplant. I am grateful and it is much appreciated for anyone who took the time out to listen to my story.