Grace family - Jumana Alber, who is the wife of William Alber (one of our Jazz Band vocalists), is in need of a kidney transplant. We ask your prayers and support for her during this time. Full details are provided below from Jumana's recent Facebook post.
“Don’t Block Your Blessings”
I first heard this phrase from a few wise women in my life when I was a teenager. When I was hesitant to accept help due to guilt, pride, or a combination of both, I was told “don’t block your blessings” to remind me that a lot of times God sends me just what I need through someone else’s kindness and generosity. My life is a testament of how God has always provided for me in so many ways through so many people. All that to say, I am asking now for one more blessing.
I need a kidney 
I have advanced kidney disease due to Polycystic Kidney Disease, a genetic disease causing fluid-filled cysts to grow in my kidneys and decrease function, ultimately leading to kidney failure. My kidney function is now below 20% so I have started the transplant list process at Ochsner Medical Center. Once listed, the typical wait time for a kidney transplant from a deceased donor with my blood type is 3-5 years. I know this may not seem terribly long of a wait, but my goal is to have a preemptive transplant to avoid dialysis completely. William and I also have a hope and desire to start a family within this timeframe, but we would have to wait a minimum of 16 months after transplant to conceive due to the specific immunosuppressant I will have to take to prevent organ rejection. The most effective route I have is to find a living kidney donor.
Please share and pray that we may find a living donor who is a match for me!
If your blood type is A+, O+ or O- and you would be willing to learn more about being tested as a donor, the link to Ochsner’s living donor questionnaire is provided below. For those who may be unfamiliar with the donor process, you would go through careful medical testing to make sure donation is safe for you first. There is absolutely no cost to you for any of your evaluation process tests/appointments or the surgery itself. All of this is billed to my insurance. If you have any questions about any of this, please reach out to me as I’d love to share more with you!
Jumana Alber
http://www.ochsnerlivingdonor.org
Thank you all for caring, praying and sharing!