I’ve been contemplating for years about starting a blog. Honestly, I never had the courage because I was afraid people wouldn’t see me as “normal.” (Spoiler: what even is normal? If you figure it out, please send me the manual.) I always wrote my thoughts down just for myself, never sharing them.

But over the years, I came across some incredible organ donation advocates like Alin Gragossian (@a_change_of_heart) and Dr. Colby Salerno (@Dr.ColbySalerno), among many others who finally made me think: okay Gaëlle, stop gatekeeping your own story and start sharing it.

So here’s my story, short version (because no one asked for a Netflix series… yet): at age 4, I was hospitalized in Buenos Aires with an E. coli infection. That led to dialysis, then a diagnosis of Uremic Haemolytic Syndrome, which turned into Chronic Kidney Disease. From then on, my trusty sidekick was a little pill called Enalapril. Who would’ve thought a tiny pill would end up being one of the main characters in my life?

Fast forward to 2019—BAM! My kidneys went on strike. And because I love drama, I also got gout. Yes, gout. Isn’t that supposed to be for grandpas yelling at clouds? Not 20-year-olds living off cheap food and coffee. I ignored the warning signs (classic twenty-something move) until I literally couldn’t anymore.

At 22, after 8 months of dialysis, a few Covid lockdowns in Paris, delayed surgeries, countless “yeses” and “nos,” I finally got my second chance at life thanks to a kidney transplant from a deceased donor. And now, at 27, here I am—living, breathing, and basically walking proof that organ donation is the best kind of plot twist.

So if you stick around, you’ll get the whole package: my stories and experiences, the symptoms, the struggles, the weird and funny bits no one talks about, and most importantly, why organ donation matters more than you think.

This is me, signing off — Till next time!

Gee