Nathan's Story 

Nathan was born in May of 1983.  Shortly after birth, Nathan was diagnosed with Spina Bifida (a serious defect of the spinal cord).  Nathan is now confined to a wheelchair, and will be for the rest of his life, but that hasn’t stopped him! 

Sports, particularly basketball, has been a major influence in Nathan’s life.  At an early age he began playing basketball and playing it well.  At one point he was recruited for a national junior team called The Fresno Heat.  When health permits, he continues to play with the Rolling Chariots, a local adult wheelchair basketball team.  It was Nathan’s championship involvement that helped him learn what his career goals would be.  Nathan graduated from Bakersfield College in 2005 and now attends California State University Bakersfield.  He is the president of the CSUB Sport Management Club.  Nathan’s ultimate ambition is to become a college or pro basketball coach.  He has already coached at both the junior high and high school levels.
 
In the summer of 2006, Nathan was experiencing hand tremors, and later nausea.  After lengthy medical testing, and being told nothing was wrong, he discovered he was in renal failure.  Nathan suddenly found out he would need a kidney transplant to continue as a productive member of society.  Currently Nathan receives dialysis treatment three times a week.  Most days he is able to keep up his routine, however has had to make some adjustments to deal with the fatigue and other side effects of his condition.  Nathan’s parents have both been tested, but neither are a tissue match for kidney donation.  Nathan and his family are now looking to the community for help.

This campaign has been started for Nathan and others who suffer from kidney failure.  The immediate goals are to find a matching kidney donor for Nathan, and raise funds to cover expenses of his transplant that medical insurance does not cover.  The fundamental goals are to educate the public on kidney disease and live donor options, and set up DVD libraries at local dialysis centers.  Nathan hopes that his future eventually includes using his experience and resources to further improve the lives of other kidney failure patients.

If you'd like to email Nathan directly, he can be reached at nathan@nathanskidneyteam.com.