Malkia White

Malkia S. White 

Transplant Type: Kidney

No one illness has a look.

Malkia White’s smile still brightly shines. Her demeanor, activities and external appearance mirrors those of a normal happy healthy 46 year old.

When Malkia was a child, she was diagnosed with Berger’s Disease, also known as IgA nephropathy. Her family is all too familiar with kidney disease, as she has a cousin who is on dialysis and an aunt who passed away from kidney issues. Malkia managed her disease for decades, but in November 2017 her kidney function began to rapidly decline.

Because she was experiencing renal failure, Malkia was on hemodialysis for 3.5 years to help her left kidney function at only 8 percent; her right kidney was non-functioning. 

However, on November 29, 2021, Malkia received additional treatment—a kidney transplant— after receiving a kidney from a deceased donor. She had been on the waiting list since April 2018. To God be the glory! 

Note, getting a transplant is a T-R-E-A-T-M-E-N-T, not a cure for kidney disease. A transplanted kidney can do 40‒85% of the work of 2 working kidneys. That’s about a half or more.

Kidney rejection can also happen. This is when the body’s immune system starts attacking the new kidney. If Malkia’s body were to reject the new kidney, the kidney may stop working, and she may need to start dialysis again. 

Malkia created a Living Kidney Donor campaign entitled: #ThatGirlNeedsAKidney. Through this campaign, she advocates for kidney health and shares her story. Learn more about #ThatGirlNeedsAKidney on Facebook (facebook.com/ThatGirlNeedsAKidney), Instagram (instagram.com/ThatGirlNeedsAKidney_Malkia and instagram.com/ThatGirlNeedsAKidneyResources), Twitter (twitter.com/fromHelltoWIN), and Malkia's blog (www.fromhelltowin.com).

Although #ThatGirlGOTAKidney, Malkia will continue being a kidney health advocate. Ask her about organ donation. Visit Barnes Jewish Hospital Transplant Center https://www.barnesjewish.org/Medical-Services/Transplant/Kidney-Transplant to learn about their Kidney Transplant Program. 

Malkia is grateful for the love and support of her family and friends throughout this journey of searching for a kidney donor, recovering from transplant surgery, maintaining her kidney health going forward, and raising funds to pay her medical bills. Her kidney transplant will give Malkia back her energy and allow her to feel like herself again. Malkia wants nothing more than to be healthy again so she can continue to live out her legacy. She wants to put her illness behind her and have a long and healthy life.

But Malkia still needs your help. The average kidney transplant costs more than $442,000. And that’s only the beginning. Even with insurance, which will cover a portion of the transplant costs, Malkia still faces significant expenses related to the surgery. For the rest of her life, she will need follow-up care and anti-rejection medications. Post-transplant medications are very expensive, and they’re as critical to her survival as the transplant itself.

You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to the National Foundation for Transplants in honor of Malkia. If you'd prefer to send your gift by mail, please send it to the NFT Transplant Fund, 3249 W. Sarazens Circle, Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38125. Please be sure to write "in honor of Malkia White” on the memo line.

Thank you for your generosity!

For more information about Malkia’s story and to learn how you can further help her, please call Malkia at 314-325-2208 or email her at ThatGirlNeedsAKidney@gmail.com.

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REFERENCE: https://transplantliving.org/kidney/life-after-transplant/

Patient Health Institute: Barnes Jewish Hospital Transplant Center