Jersey girl. Army veteran. Augusta mom.
I’m Jessica. My friends call me Sheka. I’m 48 and in kidney and liver failure from PKD/PLD — polycystic kidney and liver disease. My abdomen is full of cysts (possibly thousands) that have taken over and enlarged both organs. The only true cure is transplant. And I need two.
I’m a Jersey girl living in Georgia. The Army brought me here — I joined when I was 26, after 9/11. Before that I was a hairdresser in South Jersey and bartended in Philly part-time. I met my kids’ dad at war, in the middle of Al-Hilla, Iraq. After our divorce we sold the family home and became neighbors so we could co-parent the right way. I got out of the Army in 2011 and stayed in Augusta as a civilian fellow on Fort Gordon.
I was diagnosed when I was pregnant with my first — nearly twenty years ago. It’s progressively gotten worse. I should have started this hunt a long time ago, but ego and fear got the best of me. Now my liver is so big I look fourteen months pregnant every day of my life. I was a Soldier who could ruck you into the flight line. These days I can barely put on my socks.
A liver transplant is urgent. The liver regenerates, so a living donor keeps their organ and I get an extended play on this life thing. I need both a liver and a kidney, and they have to come from the same donor — that’s the true need. But the liver comes first. In the meantime I’m on dialysis to prolong my remaining kidney.
Living donors are preferred over deceased donors — the organs tend to last longer. If you can’t donate, there are other ways to help. They’re all right here on Save Sheka.
