GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — March is Kidney Disease Awareness Month, a time to recognize the impact of kidney disease, which affects more than 35 million people across the country. This disease can impact anyone at any age, and while treatment options like dialysis exist, the ultimate goal for many is a kidney transplant.
Evan Zuiderveen was a typical 22-year-old enjoying life until an alarming change hit him in October 2023. He suddenly found himself short of breath after simple activities.
"I was, like, having trouble breathing. And then when I was, you know, maybe going up a flight of stairs, it was just a little bit hard to breathe. I didn't really think much of it," Evan recalled. After three days of persistent shortness of breath, he sought help at urgent care, after which his life took a dramatic turn.
Evan underwent numerous tests and was eventually diagnosed with kidney failure. His mother, Lynn Afendoulis, was devastated by the news. “I couldn't breathe, I just couldn't breathe, you know, I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know what that meant for him. I didn't know what I just don't want to know what his life was going to look like," she shared.
This diagnosis meant long hours of dialysis some at home before transitioning to an easier schedule of four-hour sessions, three days a week with Trinity Health. “It’s just cleaning my blood, and then, because, you know, I'm not able to, you know, really go to the bathroom much. That's what the dialysis is just doing what the kidneys do,” Evan explained.
The past two years have brought challenges for Zuiderveen “I can only eat specific foods. I can only drink a certain amount of liquid a day until it really affects my body,” he said.
Through it all, Evan's support system has helped him persevere, even when he wanted to quit. “I had friends and family come visit me,” he said, reminiscing about playing Monopoly in the hospital as a source of comfort.
According to Trinity Health, nearly 2000 residents in Michigan are waiting for organ transplants, with 85% waiting for a kidney. “These patients need an organ to survive. So, if they don't get a transplant, they're using dialysis to survive,” Jill Wagner a transplant liaison with Trinity Health noted.
Evan’s girlfriend, Jasmine Dianpour, initiated a campaign to raise awareness and connect him with potential donors by creating a Facebook page.
“We had been posting a lot, but we decided we're going to start this Facebook page. We had a lot of people texting, asking for updates,” Jasmine said.
Jasmine’s efforts paid off, with a donor seeing the page and finding out they were a positive match to Evan, receiving the life-changing phone call earlier this month.
“I was actually on the phone with my girlfriend when I got a call from Trinity,” he recalled.
That call informed him of a potential match for a transplant.
“It was really awesome. You know, I was very, very excited. And I just kind of thought to myself that, you know, all these dialysis sessions are going to, you know, come to an end eventually,” Evan shared. "Im just very greatful that someone was able to step up and able to donate and change my life."
Evan's transplant surgery is scheduled for March 31st. He is optimistic about entering recovery and looking forward to a future without the constraints of his dialysis schedule.
“I'm excited to get out and travel, and of course, eating some normal food again,” he said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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