Hello and thank you for visiting the campaign for Alyssa Olson's Post Operation needs.  Giving a little & Saving a life:

My goal with this Campaign is to achieve two things; To raise awareness for how physically and emotionally devastating Lupus Nephritis is to those who are affected; and to raise funds for Alyssa Olson's Post Operation Needs as she will need to spend 4 or more months in Vancouver for her recovery.

In 2014 when Alyssa was 17 she was first diagnosed with Lupus Nephritis (an auto-immune disorder where the immune system attacks the kidneys).  When she was 26 she got the news that she is in dire need of a kidney transplant.  Her official diagnosis took about 6 months with extensive tests including blood-work.  During her diagnosis in 2014 she was under the knife for her first of many kidney biopsies.  Her body has been in renal kidney failure for the past 5 years, and during that time Alyssa has spent numerous weeks hospitalized for 7-10 days each time.

Treatments included: Chemo Therapy, Steroids, Immunosuppressants, Water Pills, High Blood Pressure Medication, Anti-Rejection Medication, Blood Transfusions, and Albumin Transfusions (Protein of the Blood).

From 2019 - 2023 Alyssa has been in remission until she was hospitalized again in 2023 feeling the worst she has been to date.  Some of her symptoms included:

A months long migraine, nausea/vomiting, feeling lethargic, water retention, and confusion.  It was around this time Alyssa found out she was in the end stages of total kidney failure.  4 days later she was sent to the Prince George hospital where she was started on Dialysis.  The dialysis didn't work to the extent that the Drs were hoping as her kidney function only came up a few points.  To give an idea of how quickly Alyssa was deteriorating; by 2020 her kidneys were showing 47% scar tissue and by the 5th kidney biopsy there was even more scar tissue present.  At this time, Alyssa was given more bad news in the sense of irreversible damage to the kidneys with little to no reversal of their function.  To sum it all up, it's time for a transplant to give my girlfriend a chance at a normal life.

Alyssa will remain on dialysis until a donor can be found either living or deceased.  If Alyssa can get a living donor, the transplant can happen immediately.  And if the donor is deceased; then there is a 2-4 year waiting list.. that's time I'm not sure she has.

To reiterate; my objective is two things.  To raise awareness of Lupus Nephritis with the previous story.  And to gather funds for a temporary relocation to Vancouver for her recovery.  Unfortunately, she has no other alternative place to do her recovery.

For more information on becoming a donor, please visit: https://www.blood.ca/en/organs-tissues/living-donation/what-is-living-kidney-donation

If you wish to begin an application to be a living donor, please visit: https://www.blood.ca/en/organs-tissues

Thank you for your time, and remember that giving a little will save a life!