Matt

I was diagnosed 4 years ago when I was 22, with a rare type of kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Over the years I've taken all sorts of tests but still no answer as to why this happened.

Kidney failure has changed my life in a lot of aspects. I have had to change my diet and lifestyle as my progression has gotten worse. I used to be a very active guy, working out 4 days a week, working 3 jobs, college and I was a volunteer firefighter for 4 years. I loved the feeling of giving back to the community and working with an amazing group of brave men and women risking their lives to help others. I would love to continue volunteering someday once I am better. In the last 6 months my kidneys have gotten worse and I have been on dialysis for the last 3 weeks. So therefore I have been on medical leave from work. I hate not being able to work. I work with children with special needs and being away from them is very hard.

One of my biggest fears is during surgery there will be complications and I won't make it. Since my father passed away in 2010 from skin cancer the first couple years were hard because I felt like I was the glue holding my family together. We have grown much closer since then, but now my biggest fear is leaving my wife and our future family behind.

I am able to maintain a positive outlook because of all the love and care I get from my family and friends. Two weeks before my wedding, I got really sick. Nervous that I wouldn't get better before our wedding I was released from the hospital. I was feeling pretty good. I made it to the wedding and got to celebrate my day with my wife. Two weeks after our wedding, my levels dropped and I was back in the hospital. I was then started on dialysis.

My family and friends are what help me get through tough days.

Click here to learn about the Living Kidney Donation Transplant Program at Penn Medicine

Click here to submit a form to be considered for a living donor to Matt

Patient Information:

Patient's Full Name: Matthew Joshua Douglas

Location: Northfield NJ

Patient's Date of Birth: 07/09/1990

Donor Blood Type Needed: A- however a Paired Exchange is an option. This means that if you want to help Matt but are not a qualified cross match, you can be matched with another recipient and then Matt will receive his perfect match kidney from another living donor. Essentially you are helping two people.