🩺 Start Free Screening
🎗 PKD Awareness  ·  Living Donor Needed

Cheryl needs a
life-saving kidney.
Could you be her match?

After 30+ years living beautifully with Polycystic Kidney Disease, Cheryl's kidneys can no longer carry her forward alone. One person can change everything, and it could be you.

🩺 Take the Free Screening Read Her Story
scroll
⏳ Every day matters. The assessment takes less than 10 minutes and is completely free and confidential.
100,000+ Americans waiting for a kidney
13 People die every day waiting
10 min To complete the free screening
$0 Cost to you as the donor
Cheryl and her husband
30+ years of strength
with PKD
Cheryl's Story

A life well-lived. And still so much more to give.

"That day became the one and only time I ever saw my dad cry."

At 19, Cheryl had just graduated and was starting her first year of college, truly living her best life. After playing in a volleyball tournament in Moab, she came home with a backache that wouldn't go away. A doctor's visit would change everything. Her father, heartbroken, had to tell her he had passed down Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) to her.

But Cheryl didn't let it stop her. For over 30 years she has lived a beautiful, full life, blessed with an amazing husband, grown children, and a beautiful grandson.

Now, her kidneys, slowly overrun by cysts over those decades, can no longer keep pace with the life she has ahead of her. She is currently in kidney failure, and her only paths forward are dialysis or a transplant. Dialysis is a temporary measure. A transplant is the chance at a real future.

Cheryl is asking, with all her heart, for someone to step forward. If not for her, then for anyone on the waiting list who needs that same miracle.

Her Life in Pictures

A full life. And still so much ahead.

Cheryl with her whole family

The whole family — everything worth fighting for

Cheryl with her grandson at a pumpkin patch

With her grandson at the pumpkin patch

Cheryl hiking the cliffs of Norway

Hiking the cliffs of Norway

Cheryl with family in the Netherlands

Exploring the Netherlands with family

Spread the Word

Can't donate? Share instead.

Every share puts Cheryl's story in front of new eyes. One click could reach the person who saves her life.

📸 Sharing to Instagram? Tap Copy Link first, then open Instagram and paste the link into your post caption or story.
✓ Link copied to clipboard!

Or share the QR Code

QR Code to donor screening
Scan to Start the Donor Screening
Points directly to this page
⬇ Download QR Code
Understanding Her Condition

What is Polycystic Kidney Disease?

PKD is a genetic disorder where clusters of fluid-filled cysts develop in the kidneys, slowly reducing their ability to function. There is no cure, only management, dialysis, or transplant.

🧬

Genetic & Inherited

PKD is passed from parent to child. Cheryl's father passed it to her without either of them knowing until it was discovered at age 19.

⏳

Slow & Silent

Cysts grow gradually over decades. Many patients live healthy lives for years before kidneys reach failure, as Cheryl did for 30+ years.

🎗

No Cure Exists

There is no medication that cures PKD. When kidneys fail, the only lasting solution is a kidney transplant from a living or deceased donor.

Take Action

How to help Cheryl, step by step.

The process is simpler than you might think. It starts with a free, confidential online screening with no commitment, no cost, and no pressure.

1

Take the Free Online Screening

The very first step is a quick, confidential online assessment through Intermountain Health. It takes about 10 minutes and costs you nothing. Out of every 100 people who take it, only a handful will qualify to move forward, so there's no pressure at all.

📋 When filling out the form:
When asked for a date of birth, enter: 6/4/1969
When asked "Is Cheryl at this donor facility?" select Yes
Full name: Cheryl Leithead
Start the Free Screening →
2

Connect with Cheryl's Transplant Care Team

If you pass the initial screening, you'll be connected directly with Cheryl's dedicated Transplant Care Team at Intermountain Health. They will walk you through every next step, answer all your questions, and support you through the entire process.

There is zero cost to you as the donor. Medical expenses related to the donation are covered.

★

Even If You're Not a Direct Match, You Can Still Help

Here's something incredible: you don't have to be a blood or tissue match to save Cheryl's life. Through the Voucher Program, if you want to donate but aren't compatible with Cheryl, you can donate to someone else on her behalf. This earns Cheryl a "voucher," placing her into a much larger pool of compatible donors.

Learn About the Voucher Program →

No match? No problem.

The Paired Kidney Donation Voucher Program means that your generosity still saves Cheryl's life, even if you're not her direct biological match. You donate to someone else, and Cheryl moves to the top of the compatible pool. It's a chain of life.

See If You Qualify, Free & Confidential
Common Questions

What most people want to know.

Living kidney donation is well-studied and considered safe. Most people live long, healthy lives with just one kidney, as your remaining kidney adapts over time to compensate. Surgery is performed by experienced transplant surgeons, and donors receive full pre- and post-operative care. Recovery typically takes 2–6 weeks.

No, there is absolutely no cost to the donor for the medical aspects of donation. The recipient's insurance covers evaluation, surgery, and follow-up care. Some programs also help with travel and lodging costs. You should never pay out of pocket to save someone's life.

Not at all. Living donors can be friends, acquaintances, coworkers, or even strangers with altruistic intentions. Blood relation is not a requirement. What matters most is blood type compatibility and overall health, which the transplant team will assess during evaluation.

This is where the Voucher Program comes in. You donate your kidney to a compatible patient on the national list, and that good deed earns Cheryl a "voucher" that moves her into a larger pool of donors who are a match for her. Your kidney still saves a life, and Cheryl still benefits.

The initial online screening is just 10 minutes. If you pass, the full medical evaluation involves bloodwork, health history review, and a transplant team consultation, typically completed over a few weeks. The team will guide you at a pace that works for you.

Yes. The online screening is completely confidential. Your medical information is protected, and you are under no obligation to proceed at any point. The transplant team is there to inform and support you, not to pressure you.

Sharing this page is one of the most powerful things you can do. The more people who see Cheryl's story, the higher the chance of finding a match. Share on WhatsApp, send a text, or post on Facebook. One share could reach the person who saves her life.

🩺 Take the Free Screening