Andrea Samson, a volunteer EMT in River Edge has endured kidney disease since she was a toddler.
Now she's in need of her third transplant in just 17 years.
She is hoping someone will hear her story and step up.
When the emergency alerts pour into the River Edge Volunteer Ambulance Service, Andrea Samson is there to answer the call, offering critical support to those in need.
"I wake up on a battery of like 20% and that's what I have to get through through the entire day," Samson said.
Three weeks ago, just after her 30th birthday, Samson discovered she would need a kidney transplant for the third time in her life.
She was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition at 3-years-old that causes the immune system to attack healthy kidney cells.
"I was always running around, I was doing things and ultimately I just stopped doing everything. I was exhausted," Samson said.
When Samson's body stopped responding to medication, her father donated his kidney to her when she was 13.
"We had hoped it would last 10 to 15 years," Samson said.
But just 6 years later, she would need another one.
"I really wanted to just be normal," Samson said.
While she is on a transplant waitlist, she is seeking a living donor.
According to experts the average wait time to receive a kidney is 3 to 5 years.
"There's always this anxiety that it's not going to be enough. But I also can't prevent that from letting me live my life," Samson said.
Samson loves to dance and has climbed the ranks as an EMT.
She is now studying acupuncture to find ways to increase the longevity of transplanted organs.
Samson's friends and family have rallied behind her starting a GoFundMe to help with the costs associated with donating a kidney.
In the meantime, Samson is saving lives hoping someone else shows her the same kindness.
"I think everybody who needs a kidney deserves a kidney. I hope that someone finds my story to be inspiring," Samson said.
Learn more about Andrea here.
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