I am Deepti Bahel, a kidney patient from San Francisco, California. My journey with kidney failure began eight months ago when I started experiencing unexplained weight loss and severe itching. By April, my condition worsened, and I found myself in the hospital struggling to breathe. My hemoglobin had dropped to 3.5, and my creatinine levels had soared to 30. The diagnosis was devastating: end-stage renal disease. My kidneys had shrunk to just 5.5 cm and 6.5 cm, far below the normal size, and I needed immediate dialysis to survive.
I was hospitalized for 12 days, and after three months of hemodialysis, I transitioned to peritoneal dialysis, which I now perform at home every day for nine hours. It’s a challenging routine, but it allows me to have some semblance of normalcy during the day. Every month, I receive Epogen and hemoglobin injections to manage my anemia and maintain my energy levels.
I am currently on the transplant list at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco, with a waiting time of six to eight years. My blood type is B+, and while the wait is long, I remain hopeful. Like so many kidney patients around the world, I have placed my hopes on the development of the bioartificial kidney, which could one day free us from the need for daily dialysis and give us a chance at a normal life again.
I yearn to live fully and contribute to community. I am deeply grateful to all those working tirelessly to bring the bioartificial kidney project to life, as it represents a new hope for humanity.
I pray that God blesses everyone involved in this initiative and grants them the wisdom and perseverance needed to make this groundbreaking project a reality.
Support this cause by donating to The Kidney Project.