Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Sharron Rousse, a kidney transplant recipient, advocate and the founder of Kindness for Kidneys, to discuss her journey of existing both personally and professionally within the transplant space. She has such a unique perspective, and story, and the kind of personality where, despite never having had a one on one conversation, it felt like we were old friends.
Sharron, who was born and raised in the Washington Metropolitan area outside D.C., was working in education as a school counselor when her first symptoms of kidney disease arose. After a “meet the teacher” night at the school where she worked, Sharron experienced swelling in her legs. It didn’t go away with rest, and she decided that after the following workday, she’d go to the ER. The plan was to work the entire day, but when Sharron arrived and connected with the school nurse, they advised her to clock out early and head to the emergency room immediately. Sharron said the event happened so fast and is a clear memory in her mind; after numerous tests performed at her local ER, a nurse pointed out that her kidneys were failing. Sharron, who had been diagnosed with lupus in 2003, had no indication there was anything wrong with her kidneys, but as more information was relayed to her, she began to wonder about the accuracy of her lupus diagnosis, and whether or not it was her kidney issues in disguise, resulting in the damage having gone unnoticed for so long.
She was transferred from her local hospital to John Hopkins, where she underwent more tests. The most likely option was that Sharron’s kidney disease was linked to lupus, but when she walked out of the hospital a week later with a diagnosis of FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: a rare disease attacking the filtering units of the kidney) the gravity of the situation became more apparent. Sharron was young, with no family history of the disease, having just given birth to her daughter a few months prior. This, she said, was the kind of thing that happened to other people. She was given a steroid cocktail, a combination with damaging side effects to her wellbeing, and did her best to resume a normal life in the face of a devastating diagnosis. It held her numbers at bay for a while, until 2011 when bloodwork revealed her numbers had begun to take a turn for the worse.
For Sharron it felt like a slow decline. She tried every alternative therapy in the book, sought second and third opinions. When it became apparent that dialysis was necessary, and a surgery date was booked to place a peritoneal catheter, she didn’t show up.
Instead she sought another opinion. She saw another doctor who ordered more tests, and one day the phone rang. It was that doctor, asking her how she was doing as her labs had come back and her hemoglobin was critically low. Sharron had reached the point of no return.
She remembers being in that hospital room, praying not only for her life to be spared, but also that she would someday be able to use her experience to help others. “My mindset shifted from focusing on me to helping others,” she said.
At this point peritoneal dialysis was no longer an option, and a perma cath was placed. Sharron began dialysis, and the journey of looking for a kidney donor began.
It was discovered that Sharron’s sister was a perfect match to be her kidney donor, but unfortunately the road was not that simple. The pair went through 5 transplant dates before the transplant was successful. The first date was rescheduled due to Sharron contracting an illness, the second and third because her sister had hemoglobin issues which made the surgical team uncomfortable. Sharron’s sister underwent bone marrow biopsies and saw multiple different doctors, and while Sharron tried to tell her sister that this wasn’t necessary, that she’d find another donor, her sister made it clear that this was her mission.
After months of waiting, the 5th surgery date was a go, and Sharron received her kidney transplant. It was on the 5th anniversary of their successful transplant journey, in December of 2018, that Sharron and her sister started Kindness for Kidneys. While she wasn’t clear exactly or what she wanted this to look like, Sharron wanted to give back to the community that gave her so much. She met with a team, tossed around ideas and applied for grants. They developed the ultimate mission of the organization: to educate, empower, and encourage other transplant patients and kidney warriors in their community and beyond. Sharron saw a need not only for patients to be knowledgeable about what was happening to their bodies, but also for caregivers to be involved. Conversations need to be had among families and in community circles, while at the same time encouraging representation within the transplant community.
“When it’s coming from someone that looks like you, you’re more apt to listen,” said Sharron. The African American community in particular is taught to be strong, to do what you need to do, and the approach Sharron found was one tailored to white presenting individuals. These conversations, she found, not only help those dealing with kidney disease, but also can also help prevent the disease entirely.
Kindness for Kidneys began with donating care packages to dialysis patients during the holidays. Their story quickly caught the attention of a local news crew, and within only a few years they were able to expand their Christmas hampers to multiple different dialysis locations. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kindness for Kidneys started in-person support groups. They quickly had to alter the plan, but this unexpected detour was a blessing in disguise that took their support groups online, and global. The organization is now branching back into in-person support for patients and their caregivers, focusing on thriving with your condition and teaching on topics such as diet and mental health.
I asked Sharron where she wanted to be in 5 years time, and her first focus was on maintaining the vitality of her transplanted kidney. After recently transitioning into being self-employed, she is hopeful for a thriving business as she focuses on education and health consulting. Her ultimate goal for Kindness for Kidneys is to create a one-stop-shop wellness hub for kidney disease patients and their families, both in her local community and beyond.
You can connect with Sharron on Transplantlyfe, where she is an active member of our community. Their website is kindnessforkidneys.org, and they are on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube @kindnessforkidneys.
