A Conroe woman undergoing dialysis three times a week has turned the back of her car into a mobile appeal for a kidney donor, using QR codes to direct potential donors to the hospitals where she is listed for a transplant.
Yvonne Collins, from Texas, has placed links for Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in Houston and Medical City Healthcare in North Texas on the vehicle. She hopes the unusual design will encourage people to learn more about kidney donation and start conversations that could save lives.
Collins says she continues to livestream on TikTok while receiving dialysis and is determined not to let her illness prevent her from living as fully as possible.
Conroe woman’s search for a kidney donor
Her health problems began in 2017, when Collins said her lupus became active and her kidneys started to fail.
A childhood friend, Richmond Henderson, later donated one of his kidneys to her. The pair had known each other since sixth grade, and Henderson was found to be a suitable match after agreeing to be tested.
Following the transplant, Collins moved to Dallas, secured a job as a project manager and began travelling. But the donated kidney eventually failed, while the rejection episode left her close to death, she said.
She is now back on dialysis and waiting for another transplant. The treatment has become part of her routine, but Collins says she is trying to turn a deeply difficult experience into something positive.
“It’s the passion I have to want to live,” she said.
The message on her car is intended to reach people who may never otherwise consider becoming a living kidney donor. The QR codes provide information connected to the two transplant centres where she is waiting for a kidney.
Collins says her campaign is not only about finding a donor for herself. She also wants to raise awareness of the need for kidney transplants and encourage more people to consider whether donation could be right for them.
