To look at Chloe, it’s hard to believe this 30-year-old single mom of two is waiting for a kidney transplant. But she is, and wild swings in her kidney function have made suddenly, frighteningly close what once was hoped to be a long way off. She is starting dialysis and hoping a kidney is available soon. Diagnosed at 13 when she developed high blood pressure, Chloe has had a tougher road with Autosomal Polycystic Kidney Disease than other members of her family. She’ll be the fourth transplant recipient — including her grandfather, uncle and mom — and the sixth so far with the disease. She was the first in the family, though, to be added to the transplant list in her 20s.

Over the years, Chloe has been hospitalized for extremely high blood pressure. She experiences near constant pain from her very large kidneys, and has undergone procedures to drain and cauterize cysts in hopes of reducing the size of her kidneys, as well an attempt at a nerve block to try to block the pain. None worked, leaving her relying on pain medication.

Now, the hope is to remove both of her native kidneys, either at the time of transplant or a few months after transplant. A double nephrectomy is a huge surgery, but Chloe very much wants to be rid of pain medication. Without removing her kidneys, she would have to rely on pain meds the rest of her life.

Despite all of this, Chloe works full time as a mortgage loan officer and manages to keep up with 11-year-old Eleanor and 8-year-old Beau. She worries about the recovery time for a transplant and a possible second surgery for the double nephrectomy, meaning time that she can’t be active with her kids, as well as time off work. So, Chloe has partnered with COTA for assistance with transplant-related expenses, such as household assistance at time of transplant.

In her search for a community of PKD patients, Chloe started a Vlog on YouTube about her transplant journey, called Chronically Chlo. Here, she briefly describes her experience with PKD and preparing for a transplant:

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA also works with individuals of any age with a single-gene disorder such as Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cystic Fibrosis or Sickle Cell Disease. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy families. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free of charge and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.