Sarah's Story
Hello! You may have heard about my sister and her reputation.
No, I'm not talking about that...
but seriously what did you think I was talking about?
All jokes aside, I am referring to her tendency to follow Murphy's Law just a little too closely, hence her self-imposed nickname of Murphy.
Now what is Murphy's Law you ask?

Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

Here's a little history for you. While its origins are debatable, and several similar adages are floating around, the saying is mostly credited to aerospace engineer Captain Edward A. Murphy Jr.  While the saying has changed over time, the concept originated when Murphy and his team discovered a critical error in their equipment during rocket sled tests around 1948. So appropriately, the concept was coined during some very risky testing with rockets.
That brings us to my sister. 
Weird segway I know. But the point is, Sarah has LIVED this saying. While she has never gone out of her way to invite danger and mishaps into her life....they find her. Aside from the general hazing and harassment I put her through as a child (older sister stuff), she has had some tough luck. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11, she now has decades of experience dealing with a serious medical condition. But that wasn't enough, and Sarah added a horrific fall off a ladder and the resulting spiral fracture and telescoping of her lower leg bones and ankle (Which she tried to walk off I might add), as she continued her religious pursuit of Murphy and his law. A few years later, a faulty medical device caused her to plunge into a coma, and earned her a helicopter ride to Seattle. Those were some of the longest and hardest days of our lives. When testing showed her to be unresponsive, and many of the medical staff had lost hope, Sarah decided to rejoin society. Have I mentioned she has a flair for the dramatic?
She fought her way back through relearning basic tasks and months of therapy, but her kidneys were not impressed with their stay in Comaland. It became apparent that she had lost most of her kidney function, and soon afterwards, started dialysis.
Now although we could fill a book recounting the extensive list of her adventures flirting with Murphy's Law, I don't want to write it.
The point is, Sarah needs our help.
Kidney failure is brutal. No one should have to live with it. It takes away your freedom, your energy, and your time, as you are chained to the endless cycle of dialysis.
Sarah needs a kidney.
We are walking in Phoenix this April 6th, to raise awareness of her condition, and what hundreds of thousands are living with nationwide. She has waited nearly 7 years for a successful kidney transplant. Her first kidney transplant (Kevin) never made it home from the hospital. We don't know if Kevin was defective, just grumpy about being transplanted, or if it just wasn't the right time, but Sarah had to fight her way through yet another heartbreak and a long painful recovery process. 
Please consider donating to our fundraiser to support kidney and transplant research and resources through the National Kidney Foundation. If you are not registered as an organ donor, please consider signing up through www.lcnw.org. You could save or enhance the lives of up to 50 people. 
If a living donor wants to step forward, she is blood type O positive.
Even if you aren't a direct match, kidney exchange chains can be facilitated. You can learn more about living kidney donation through the National Kidney Foundation, her transplant center at UW, or I am happy to share my experience with the process.

Until then we wait. And hope. And pray.
Join our team. Walk with us.

-Andrea Stover Crawford


From the National Kidney Foundation:

Why We Walk