Support Tyrese’s Fight Against Kidney Disease

Hi, my name is Tyrese. I never thought I would have to make this, but I have end stage kidney disease. I am reaching out to ask for help to raise funding for my dialysis treatment, my kidney transplant and to help support my family while I am disabled and out of work.

I have struggled with kidney issues since the spring of 2019. I spent 10 days in the hospital with unexplained rhabdomyolysis. At first, my doctors thought I had an acute injury due to rhabdomyolysis, but my condition only worsened over time. After nearly five years of endless questions, doctor’s appointments, testing, prescription changes, and biopsies, I discovered I have a rare mutation on the APOL1 gene which is causing a kidney condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS. This mutation is only found in people of African or Caribbean descent. FSGS destroys the part of your kidneys that help filter waste and keep vital nutrients in your body. There is no treatment or cure for FSGS besides a kidney transplant.

On August 11th, my wife rushed me to the hospital from work and I was admitted for a hypertensive crisis. My electrolytes were severely out of balance and started interfering with my heart’s function. My FSGS suddenly worsened and my chronic kidney disease officially progressed to failure. The doctors told me if I stayed home that evening I would have had a heart attack or died in my sleep due to heart failure. After a week in the hospital, I was able to come home, but I am now starting dialysis and still suffering from the effects of my CKD. Kidney failure has affected every aspect of my life and causes severe fatigue, weakness, muscle pains and cramps, digestive issues and more. Even on my best days, I must sleep for up to 12 hours at a time. I recently had surgery to insert a dialysis catheter and am starting peritoneal dialysis, which is an intensive process for both me and my wife, and we are expecting our first child.

I have been unable to work due to this. My wife works from home. She is currently 38 weeks pregnant and will deliver any day now. She was forced to extend her time at work and shorten her already brief maternity leave due to our financial circumstances. She is my full-time caregiver and has suffered immense stress during this ordeal. Unfortunately, even with her income, we have barely kept ourselves above water over the past few months. My medical expenses, including doctor’s copays, surgery and recovery expenses, prescriptions and dialysis supplies, etc. have quickly eaten up what little savings we have. At this point, I will need financial assistance to continue my treatment and keep a roof over my family’s head.

Anything helps. I appreciate and love you all. If you would prefer, you can also donate to us directly through Venmo or PayPal @MadisonJarnot.