18 Year Old With Polycystic Kidney Disease Urgently Seeks Kidney Donor As U Health Transplant Institute Evaluates

Teen With Polycystic kidney Disease Urgently Seeking kidney transplant After Graft Rejection

USA: Natasha Fuller, 18, is urgently seeking a kidney transplant after rejection of a childhood graft and a recent life-threatening hospitalization. Born with polycystic kidney disease, Fuller received a kidney from a teacher as a child; that transplant functioned a little over eight years, far shorter than clinicians had hoped. Her blood type is O negative, and physicians now say a new transplant is needed within months.

Fuller’s condition worsened on April 28 when she arrived for dialysis unable to breathe and with critically high blood pressure. She required intubation and spent roughly a month in intensive care before being transferred to OU for continued care. Medical teams describe her situation as urgent, with a six- to nine-month window cited for securing a suitable donor and proceeding with transplantation.

Despite mounting medical instability and repeated hospital stays over the past year and a half since graft rejection, Fuller and her family remain focused on recovery and the life a successful transplant would restore. She looks forward to traveling to see grandparents in Wisconsin and Florida, and plans to attend MSU with hopes of working in child life to help other children on dialysis.

Those who wish to explore living kidney donation are advised to contact the U Health Transplant Institute for information; alternatives include contributing to Fuller’s GoFundMe, which has raised about $1.8K so far. The case underscores ongoing demands on transplant programs and the critical need for compatible living donors and timely access to transplantation.

Video originally published on 2026-06-05 18:05:37