Personal Update ยท By Tristian
It still doesn't quite feel real when I say it out loud.
I'm moving toward something. Not just surviving month to month, not just getting through โ actually moving forward.
Over the past few weeks I've been going through transplant evaluations and testing. There are still a lot of steps ahead, but a kidney transplant has gone from feeling like a distant dream to feeling like an actual possibility. If things keep moving in the right direction, it could happen sometime next year.
After years on dialysis, I don't really have the words for what that feels like.
What "Getting Through" Actually Looks Like
For so long, my whole life has been built around treatments, fluid restrictions, medications, appointments, and just making it to the next month. When you live that way long enough, you stop thinking about the future. Not consciously โ it just happens. The horizon disappears and all that exists is today, and maybe tomorrow.
So allowing myself to imagine a future right now feels strange. Fragile. Honestly, a little terrifying.
But I'm doing it.
The Obstacle That's Left
The biggest thing standing between me and a transplant isn't medical anymore. It's financial.
Years of dialysis and hospital visits have quietly drained my insurance coverage and savings. The costs don't stop โ they keep coming even as I get closer to the finish line. That's the reality I'm still navigating every single month.
How You Can Help
If you're able to support, here's where you can:
๐
buymeacoffee.com/helptristiaโฆ
๐
paypal.me/helptristian
And if you'd like to be part of this consistently โ without waiting on updates like this one โ the Second Chance Circle membership is the most meaningful way to stay involved:
๐
buymeacoffee.com/helptristiaโฆ
Every bit of support helps me keep managing dialysis while preparing for what I hope is the next chapter. You're part of why this future is starting to feel possible.
Thank you for still being here.
โ Tristian