Single mother searches for a kidney donor as experts urge getting tested for kidney disease

March is National Kidney Month. Meire de Lima Carlos Santos is a 43-year-old single mom from Brazil. In June 2021, she was diagnosed with kidney failure.

Meire Carlos was suffering from chronic kidney disease but like the estimated 90% of people who have the disease, she was not aware of it.

In June 2021, after experiencing headaches and a sudden spike in her blood pressure, Carlos was rushed to the hospital where three days later she was diagnosed with renal failure at only 43-years-old. She had no other symptoms.

Carlos said doctors told her 75% of her kidneys were “destroyed”. Less than a year later, her kidneys are operating at 10% capacity and her diagnosis has progressed to end-stage renal failure.

In dire need of a kidney, Carlos, a Brazilian native who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, was placed on a transplant list with a 5-year waiting period. Since her diagnosis, she and her support system have been working to find a living donor.