Hi, my name is Gabriel. I’m 47 years old — a father and stepfather to seven amazing kids, a husband, a coffee guy, and someone who needs a kidney transplant to stay alive.
I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) when I was 31, not long after losing my mother to the same condition. Her father died from it, too. It’s a progressive disease that quietly gets worse until your kidneys stop working — and mine have decided to quit. After years of managing the symptoms, my kidneys have officially entered failure. The only treatment option that gives me real hope is a transplant.
This disease has changed everything about my day-to-day life. I had to shut down the wholesale side of my beloved coffee business — work I’ve done and loved for over 25 years — because I couldn’t physically keep up anymore. Even a short workday leaves me wiped out for days. I can’t travel, can’t be as present with my kids, and have to accept more and more limits each day. It’s been incredibly hard to admit that I need to stop doing so much… but now, I have to fully focus on staying healthy.
Here’s the bright spot in this story: my amazing wife, Letha, immediately volunteered to be my living donor. Without hesitation, she said yes — not just for me, but for anyone who might need her kidney if we weren’t a match. It turns out… we are. A perfect match. After months of testing, we’ve both been cleared for surgery, and my transplant is on the horizon.
But we need help getting through it.
Because Letha will be undergoing surgery too, she won’t be able to be my caregiver. We don’t have close family nearby, so we’re calling on our chosen family — our village — to help support us through the 4–8 week recovery. We’ll need to temporarily relocate to Dallas for two months to be close to the hospital, attend post-op appointments, and heal.
This campaign will help cover the many out-of-pocket costs associated with this journey:
Two months of lodging
Groceries for us and our caregivers
Transportation to/from the hospital
Airfare for caregivers
Post-transplant medications
Child care
Time off work
Pet care
Medications
We are both deeply committed to our family and our friends, and we both want to be around a lot longer to live our lives with dignity, love, and care. Any amount you can donate would be GREATLY appreciated. A $20 donation can go a long way to help with all of the expenses that are coming our way during a time of recovery. We are so grateful for all of the help we have received along the way to get us to this moment.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting us however you can.
With love and gratitude, Gabriel & Letha
