In 2016 Elena DePaolo was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia and had to undergo a stem cell transplant after extensive amounts of chemotherapy and radiation. In May of 2017 she was diagnosed with Stage 3 chronic kidney disease that still to this day has no cure. Now Elena is praying for a kidney donor to save her life for her son.
“Finding a donor would mean the absolute world to me and my family. I’ll get that healthy kidney that I need to live my life and raise my son along side my husband. Raising my son is the most important thing to me and he’s only one…I have so much left in life to do with him and his dad. I would be so insanely grateful to find a match and for whoever that person may be.”
In 2019, Elena became pregnant with her daughter (deceased) which further progressed her kidney disease to Stage 4. Elena and her husband Frank then adopted their son Lorenzo in 2020. Within the past year Elena’s kidney function has continued to decline and she is now at stage 5 which requires a kidney transplant. A living donor is Elena’s best option for long term results.
To become a donor contact transplant assistant Deanne at 716-898-5001 or dhossfeld@ecmc.edu
