Kharon Works Sellars

Sharon Works Hymes Needs A LIVING Kidney DONOR

Help Sharon Find Her Perfect Match!!

My name is Kharon and I am Sharon’s twin sister. Sharon and I have known each other our entire lives, and up until after college we did everything together. Ballet, tap, cheerleading, softball, ice skating and soccer. We went to the same college together, Howard University and pledged the same sorority together, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. As twins, we had the same friends through college. Sharon and I love skiing and snow boarding and love traveling together.

In our twenties, Sharon and were I tested and diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) after learning our mother had it. Our mother was on dialysis, received a kidney transplant and eventually had to go back on dialysis. In 2013, our mother went home to Glory after suffering a cardiac arrest after a dialysis treatment. Our older brother was diagnosed with PKD many years later after Sharon and I were diagnosed. To date, he has had two kidney transplants.

For almost 30 years, Sharon and I together have shared this journey of having to live with this awful genetic disorder. For the past 2 years, our kidney function has progressed quickly into end stage renal disease. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, water retention of the lower extremities, frequent urination, and uncontrollable high blood pressure. Due to COVID and having ESRD, Sharon’ life has changed dramatically. She has to be extremely careful because if she contracts COVID, it could take her out or she may become ineligible to to have a kidney transplant because she could become too sick. Right now, Sharon can’t go out and can’t enjoy family vacations or activities. If Sharon receives a kidney, she will not have to go on dialysis which negatively will affect her quality of life.

In February 2020, I was evaluated by doctors UTSW in Dallas, Texas, to get on the transplant list. After going through the process herself, Sharon was right there with me to support me. I was accepted to get on the transplant list and by the grace of God 3 of my closest friends offered to get tested to see if they could be a donor. At UTSW only one person can get tested at a time. One friend was eliminated immediately due to an underlying health condition and the other friend was going through the process of being tested up until I received a call from UTSW. On November 18th, 2020, I received a call from UTSW offering me a kidney from someone who died. Because I was a 97% genetic match, my receipt of a kidney from the transplant registry was expedited by years. I flew from DC to Texas and later that night I had surgery. I have been recovering since that time.

As Sharon’s twin sister, having been blessed with a kidney, I am helping her look for a living donor. A living donor increases her life expectancy and quality of life. Please consider being tested to be a living donor and share with Sharon's story with your family and friends. You never know would will be led to get tested. The more people who know and get tested, the greater chances she will find the perfect match!

Thank you for your consideration!

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