How It All Began (2008-2009)
My journey began when I was still a child. It started with fevers that kept coming and going. For a long time, no one could tell us what was actually wrong. I was misdiagnosed, given different medicines, and eventually spent two (2) weeks in a hospital for bronchitis with zero improvement. Seeing how sick I was getting, my aunt stepped in. She knew something wasn't right and took a leap of faith to bring me to MNL, even having to figure out how to get me on a flight when my breathing is getting hard. When we finally got to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), a biopsy gave us the truth: I had Lupus.
Healing and Going Back Home (2009-2011)
I stayed with my aunt in Manila for almost two years. Life became a routine of monthly check-ups, medicines, and chemotherapy sessions every two months. During this time, my aunties took care of me and welcomed me into their home. They carefully prepared my meals, choosing what was best for my condition and making sure my food was not too salty. They also provided me with clothing, shelter, and the care I needed while I was away from my family.
As I started feeling better, I decided to return home. I skipped my last chemotherapy session and never returned to Manila with my aunt again. At that time, I was feeling well and ready to go back to my normal life.
In 2011, I went back to school as a 5th grader. I was simply happy to be home, back in school, and feeling like a normal kid again. At 11 years old, I didn’t fully understand the sacrifices my aunties had made for me, but looking back now, I realize how much love was behind everything they did. I will always be grateful to them for caring for me when I needed it most. Being away from your family hits differently when you’re young. Sometimes, all you want is to be home.
The Life I Almost Took for Granted (2013-2021)
My life became normal again or so I thought. When I came home, I continued my studies. I finished my elementary years although I was behind for two years. Then, I continued my Junior High School and Senior High School studies. When I entered college, balancing work and school left me with very little time to prepare home-cooked meals. As a working student, I often relied on whatever food was available outside, including instant and convenient meals. Looking back, I realize that my eating habits during those years may have contributed to the decline in my health. At the time, I didn't think much about it. I was simply trying to manage work, school, and everyday life.
When Things Shifted (2022-2023)
College life as a working student was overwhelming. Between late nights, quick meals, and constant stress, my body started showing signs that something was wrong again. It began with swelling in my face, legs and body. I went for a check-up, and my creatinine was high. The doctor said it could be a lupus flare and advised me to see a specialist-Rheumatology. I saw a specialist who confirmed that it was a lupus flare. The doctor then prescribed medicines, and continued with my daily life. But later, my condition became worse. By late 2023, i had trouble walking. Then in December, I had my first seizure. I woke up in the hospital and could not remember what had happened. It was frightening moment for me and my family.
Holding On to Hope (2022-2023)
After I was discharged from the hospital, my mother also sought help from a traditional faith healer, or albularyo. We were still trying to understand what was happening to my body and looking for anything that might help me feel better. My mother did not want to leave any possibility unexplored.
At that time, I had noticeable swelling in my face and legs. After the treatment, the swelling eventually began to subside. I knew there was no guarantee that it would cure my illness, and I understood that I still needed proper medical care. But when you are facing something uncertain, you naturally hold on to anything that gives you hope.
For me, it wasn’t about believing that one treatment would magically make everything disappear. It was about hope—the hope that somehow, something would help, that my body would get better, and that I could move forward with my life.
Looking back, I realize that during those difficult moments, hope came in many different forms. Sometimes, all you can do is hold on to it and keep going.
Love in the Middle of a Storm (2025)
In June 2024, I met my boyfriend (now my husband). He came into my life right before everything got heavier. Just a month later, a second seizure landed me back in the hospital. The doctors told my mother that dialysis was the only option because my body had too many toxins. I was scared and did not want to accept it. My boyfriend, who was working abroad, was kept informed and made the difficult decision for me to start dialysis. I woke up with a catheter in my neck. I was scared but I was alive. Dialysis became part of my life three times a week. We tried putting in a fistula for treatment twice, but both attempts failed-one after a fall while getting off a bus, and another in the hospital. It felt like one step forward and two steps back.
Love Gave Me Another Reason to Keep Going (2025)
From mid-2024 until October 2025, dialysis was a constant part of my life. I had to go thrice a week to the center for my dialysis. Then, in November 2024, Viktor proposed to me. ❤️
While still going through dialysis, we planned our wedding and worked through all the requirements needed to establish our future together. I traveled from Dumaguete to Manila for embassy appointments and apostilled documents, then hurried back to make it in time for dialysis.
In June 2025, we finally got married. Even after our wedding, I still had to rush back to the dialysis center. I was living between a dialysis machine and a dream of a better life. It wasn’t easy, but love gave me another reason to keep fighting, keep believing, and keep moving forward.
One Match Away From a Miracle (2025)
After my sister and I were found to be a match in Dumaguete, we were referred to NKTI for further evaluation. My husband and I first flew to Manila to meet the doctor. I began my laboratory tests as the recipient, completing everything that could be done without my donor.
Once my tests were finished, we booked a flight for my sister to come to Manila. She completed her laboratory tests as a donor, and together, we underwent the crossmatching process.
The first crossmatch showed that we did not match. I felt sad and worried because we had already come so far. But our doctor asked us to do another crossmatching using a different approach. Thankfully, this time, we matched. I felt so relieved. It was a moment of hope after so much uncertainty.
We also submitted all the necessary requirements for the transplant. During this time, our transplant coordinator advised us to consider funding the transplant ourselves rather than applying for government assistance. Because my husband is a foreigner, there was a possibility that our application for government support could be rejected, and we did not want to risk delaying the transplant for months.
We wanted to move forward as quickly as possible and give ourselves the best chance to continue the process. While all of this was happening—laboratory tests, paperwork, flights, and waiting—I was still going back and forth for my regular dialysis. It was not an easy journey. But every test, every document, every flight, and every dialysis session was bringing me one step closer to the possibility of a life beyond dialysis and my second chance.
A Piece of Her, A New Life for Me (2025)
After seven weeks of waiting, my sister and I finally received the message we had been hoping and praying for—we were approved, and we could proceed with the transplant. For so long, the transplant had felt like a distant possibility. But that message changed everything. After months of dialysis, medical tests, paperwork, hospital visits, and uncertainty, we finally had a date. Hope suddenly had a schedule. I immediately texted my doctor to share the good news. She then gave us our transplant schedule, and we were told to be admitted on October 13, 2025.
The day before our admission, we traveled to Manila. My husband had already returned to his country because he needed to go back to work, so my friend Sheen came with me to support and take care of me. My sister’s husband also came to support her. They would be there for us while we were in surgery and throughout our hospital stay.
Then came October 14—my final dialysis session. My dialysis journey began in July 2024. For more than a year, I went through dialysis three times a week, adjusting my life around treatments, exhaustion, and the uncertainty of waiting for a transplant.
There were days when I felt tired, afraid, and unsure of what the future would bring. But dialysis taught me to keep going even when I felt weak. It taught me strength, patience, gratitude, and above all, faith. That final session was more than just a treatment. It was the closing of a chapter filled with struggles, tears, prayers, and lessons I will carry for the rest of my life. As I left that machine for the last time, I realized that God had carried me through every difficult day, even when I could not see what He was preparing for me. For more than a year, I had been praying for a way forward. And now, I was standing at the beginning of an answered prayer. My dialysis journey was ending. My second chance was beginning—and I knew it was only possible because God never left my side.
Then came October 15, 2025—the day of my transplant.
After more than a year of dialysis, the moment we had prayed and waited for had finally arrived. My sister became my living donor and gave me the greatest gift—the chance to live again. As I entered the operating room, I carried with me every fear, every struggle, and every prayer. But above all, I carried my faith. God had carried me through every difficult day, even when I could not see what He was preparing for me. And on October 15, 2025, my prayer became a new beginning. Through my sister’s selfless gift and God’s grace, I was given a second chance. My dialysis journey ended, my transplant journey began, and I stepped into my new life knowing that God never left my side.
Living a Normal Life Again 😇
After we were discharged, we asked our aunties if we could stay with them for a while as we waited for our follow-up appointments. They welcomed us wholeheartedly and cared for us with so much love during those first weeks after the transplant.
One week after discharge, my sister and I returned for our follow-ups. We saw our nephrologists, my sister saw her urologist, and I saw my surgeon to make sure my wound was healing properly. Thankfully, everything was going well. Our nephrologist told my sister that she could return home, while I needed to remain in Manila for my regular check-ups, as required by the documents we had signed before the transplant.
My sister and her husband eventually returned to the province, while my friend Shen stayed with me at our aunties’ home. Before November, Shen also returned to her province, and I remained with my aunties from October 2025 until March 2026.
During the first month, I had weekly check-ups and laboratory tests. After that, my appointments became monthly. While recovering, I was also preparing and submitting my documents for my visa application so I could finally be reunited with my husband in Germany.
When I submitted my application, I was told that I needed to take a language exam. I studied every day after my check-ups. After only four weeks of preparation, I took my first exam, but sadly, I did not pass. It was discouraging and disappointing, but I refused to give up. I continued studying while waiting for my second attempt and even attended driving lessons.
After I passed my language exam in January, I submitted my certificate to the embassy. About a week later, I received the news I had been praying for—my visa was approved.
By March, I had my last check-up in Manila. After months of recovery, waiting, and preparing for my new life, it was finally time to leave.
Before leaving, I said goodbye to my aunties and thanked them for everything they had done for me. They had cared for me, supported me, and gave me a place to stay during one of the most important times of my life. I will always be grateful for them.
My husband came to pick me up, and together we went back to the province. We stayed there for two weeks with my family before we finally flew to Germany.
Leaving the Philippines was emotional. I was leaving behind the people and places that had been part of my journey, but I was also stepping into a new chapter of my life. After everything I had been through—from lupus, to kidney failure, to dialysis, to my transplant, and months of recovery—I was finally on my way to start a new life with my husband.
A new country. A new beginning. A new chapter.
And once again, I could only say:
Thank You, God, for bringing me this far.
A Message for You
If you’re reading this during a difficult season, pause for a moment and hear this clearly: you are not alone.
I know what it feels like to wait, to feel afraid, and to wonder whether life will ever get better. I know how heavy those days can feel. But I also know that difficult seasons do not last forever, even when they seem endless. There were many moments when I had no idea what was waiting for me. I couldn’t see the way forward. But I kept taking one small step at a time. I kept praying. I kept believing, even when my faith felt fragile.
Now, when I look back, I can see that some of the days I thought would break me were quietly preparing me for a new beginning. What felt like an ending became part of a story I had not yet learned to understand. Your journey may not look like mine. Your answer may come differently, and it may take longer than you hoped. But please, don’t give up. The fact that you cannot see the way forward does not mean there is no way forward.
For today, take the next step. Reach out and ask for help. Be gentle with your health and with yourself. Rest when you need to. Keep learning. Keep praying. Keep holding on. You do not have to solve everything today. You only have to keep moving—one breath, one prayer, and one step at a time.
Keep going. Keep praying. Keep believing.
Your story is not over. There is still more ahead of you, more strength within you, and more hope waiting to unfold. So please, take the next step. Then take another. Even if it is small, it still counts. Do not give up. Your second chance may be closer than you think.