William Needs A Gift Of Life

Who Am I?

My name is William Vanasse and I’m a happily married man with 2 beautiful young girls, Emily and Hallie, ages 3 and 4 months old. My wife Tacia and I met in 2012, married in 2017, and currently reside in Windsor, Vermont. I am a 2007 graduate of Mascoma Valley Regional High School in Canaan, New Hampshire where my last 2 years of high school were concentrated on studying in a Vocational Program with a focus on building trades. Upon graduation, I pursued a career with a contractor learning skills and following a passion to build, maintain and update homes. I eventually found my calling as a Stone Mason with a specialty in constructing and repairing fireplaces and applying stone veneer. My wife and I have been active participants with various local charities and organizations for many years within our community such as the Christmas Project, Stuff-a-Truck (community food drive) and the Adopt- a-Family (gift giving project) during Christmas time. I have also donated my time and Stone Mason skills doing charity work for families that were in need of my expertise along with delivering firewood to those in desperate need of a heating source and gathering furniture donations for sales to raise funds for my community. I have also been involved with an organization called Prouty (a local cancer charity event) and with my employer working with the Make-a-Wish Foundation in which we created and updated a pool space for a child.

On a personal level, I enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, biking and hunting. My family and I are also very spiritual within our Catholic faith and prayer has always played a significant aspect in our lives. We attend church on a regular basis and look forward to instilling our Catholic beliefs and principles in our children.

Dealing with the daily challenges I constantly face as a home hemodialysis patient has been extremely difficult which is why I am in need of everyone to help me Share My Story to find a Living Kidney Donor. It’s not easy for me to ask for help, but I am in need of someone’s kindness and generosity to consider becoming a Living Kidney Donor to give me The Gift of Life.

The Beginning

In November of 2021, at the age of 32, my life took an unexpected turn when a visit to the emergency room for a shoulder injury revealed I had kidney failure. This diagnosis was traumatic and shocking for me to accept because my father died of kidney failure at an early age in 2013. A visit to a kidney specialist revealed my kidney function was only 10% and that beginning dialysis as soon as possible was my only option to stay alive. I was filled with fear and uncertainty about my future. I soon began dialysis at my local dialysis center in December 2021 on a basis of 3 times per week for 4 hours per treatment. My treatments caused me to have frequent muscle spasms, exhaustion, nausea, lack of focus and diminished energy which limited my daily activities and the ability to work full-time to financially provide for my family. This put a tremendous financial burden on my wife to work extra shifts as a Registered Nurse in addition to her normal responsibilities during the week as a Clinical Nurse Supervisor.

My Current Situation

I am presently doing home hemodialysis 5 days a week for 3 hours per treatment since October 2022. My wife and I endured extensive training for 6 weeks to familiarize ourselves with the complicated process of doing home hemodialysis. I spend my days balancing my role as a father, husband and dialysis patient. I bring my daughters to daycare everyday and then hurry home to begin the process of doing home hemodialysis by myself. After I finish, I pick-up my daughters and try to find the strength and energy to entertain conversations with my oldest daughter about her day and try to remain positive to avoid her seeing me struggling physically and emotionally. Tacia and I eat dinner with our children most evenings and enjoy spending quality time with them. I begin the process all over again the next day and try to remain positive for my family.

The effects of home hemodialysis have taken a devastating toll on my personal life daily and my Stone Mason career. I frequently suffer from daily nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, reduced energy and diminished focus. My ability to work as a Stone Mason has been significantly diminished to only working 1-2 days a week on occasion a few months of the year due to my physical limitations and restrictions. My activities of daily living have also been extremely limited and restricted. I am embarrassed and feel guilty that my wife has become the primary financial provider in our home which has created a tremendous financial burden on her. The essence of enjoying life to the fullest with my wife and children and the moments of joy and connections with my loved ones have sadly slipped away as I am in a constant battle with my debilitating symptoms, physical limitations and restrictions.

After meeting with the Kidney Transplant Department and going through a rigorous and lengthy process of extensive medical testing, I was placed on the Kidney Transplant List at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire in November 2022.

My two brothers and my wife were all evaluated as potential Living Kidney Donors and were found to be medically ineligible as Living Donors which is why I need help in finding a potential Living Kidney Donor outside of my immediate family.

What Would I Do With A Gift Of Life

If I were to receive The Gift of Life from a Living Kidney Donor it would dramatically improve the longevity and quality of my life. I would use this newfound energy to financially support my family as a Stone Mason and alleviate the financial burden on my wife as well as continue being a loving husband and a father. I desperately want to return to being an active member of the various local charitable organizations I was previously involved with as well as donate my time and efforts as a Stone Mason to helping others in my local community that need assistance. With a new kidney from a Living Donor, I would also be committed to channeling my energy and passion into becoming a Living Kidney Donor Advocate by establishing a Local Chapter in my area and organize various fundraisers. I also want to participate in the annual Boston Kidney Walk. However, the most valuable gift of all would be to once again become an active and involved father and husband to my family and experience life with them. I desperately want to support them unconditionally and help my daughters navigate through the challenges of life.

On a personal basis, I want to return back to school and become involved with helping others on dialysis by becoming either a dialysis nurse or a dialysis medical technician at a Dialysis Center. I want to teach them how to manage kidney disease and cope with doing dialysis from my own firsthand experience and act as a symbol of hope by providing them with unconditional support, inspiration and encouragement to find a Living Kidney Donor.

Share My Story & Consider Getting Tested As A Donor At No Cost To You... It Can Potentially Save Your Own Life

I completely understand and respect that not everyone will be in a position to even consider donating a kidney. I appreciate that you would even take the time to simply read my website to learn more about me and ask that you consider SHARING MY STORY with your friends, co-workers, family, colleagues, religious affiliations, organizations, etc. via word-of-mouth, e-mail and social media to spread the work that I need a kidney transplant from a Living Donor and to consider possibly getting tested yourself. Through this I am hopeful that I will find someone who is eligible and willing to give me THE GIFT OF LIFE. Thank you very much for your time and may God Bless You.

Benefits Of Getting Tested As A Potential Donor

Comprehensive Health Evaluation and Medical Testing – NO COST TO YOU.
All Medical Testing is covered by MY INSURANCE…. NOT YOURS.
Testing determines Your Own Health Status & Detects Underlying Health Issues.
Potential Donors can discover by getting tested life-threatening medical issues such as Cancer, Heart Disease, Diabetes & Autoimmune Diseases, etc. that might never have been detected without testing .....Donor Testing Can Save Your Life!!!
Getting Tested is NOT A COMMITMENT or OBLIGATION to donate…. You can always change your mind any time.
If you are eligible to donate but not a direct match, you can still be my donor through a Paired Swap where incompatible donor and recipient pairs are matched with another duo for a one-to-one exchange or "Paired Swap Exchange".

Dialysis vs Kidney Transplant – What Choice Is Better?

Clinical studies show that patients who have a successful kidney transplant live longer than patients treated with dialysis. Dialysis also increases the risk of heart inflammation and disease, an irregular heart beat, sudden cardiac arrest, stroke, anemia and sepsis. Patients who have a kidney transplant report having a better quality of life compared to being on dialysis. Kidney transplant patients enjoy being able to return to work, travel more freely, and live without diet and fluid restrictions. Compared with a deceased kidney donor transplant, the benefits of a living kidney donor transplant include: Less time spent on a waiting list (3-7 years), better outcomes, less complications, less chance of rejection and longer survival rates of the kidney transplant.