Kari's Story

I’m Kari Carson. I’m 39 years old and grew up in Seattle, Washington (my maiden name was Kari Harris). I met my husband Jason nineteen years ago when we were students at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After school we both moved to Los Angeles to pursue careers in music and have lived in the LA area ever since.

Life took twists and turns and I am now a full time Real Estate agent with Compass. Most importantly, I am a mom to two amazing little people! My son Finn is five years old and is one of the most unique souls I have ever encountered. My daughter Tess is two and is a little ray of sunshine that helps guide us through life.

I have finally reached the point in my disease where I will either need to go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant. I am on the National UNOS list to receive a deceased donor kidney, but in the LA area, my wait will be 7-8 years to get a kidney. Due to my age, my doctors feel the best option for me is a living donor transplant, as a kidney from a living donor lasts on average twice as long as a kidney from a deceased donor. Most people don’t realize that it is an option to donate a kidney and that you can live a normal, healthy life with only one kidney. The long-term success rate of a transplanted kidney after any length of time on dialysis is greatly decreased, so it is important for me to find my donor as soon as possible.

I don’t look sick. But I am someone with chronic kidney disease. I have Polycystic Kidney Disease, which is a genetic disease that is passed down through families. It has no cure and very few methods of treatment. My grandmother had it, my father has it, my uncle has it, my cousin has it and my sister has it. My children each have a 50% chance of having the disease as well.

My biggest fear is that my young children might have to grow up without their mom. If you are reading this, you may know me, or you may not. Either way, I am grateful to you for your support. If you are interested in being tested there is a lot of information here to help guide you, but it’s not the only way to help my family. We need to get our message out. Please share my story so that we can hopefully find the person that is going to save my life. -Thank You!!!