In 2005, at age 13, Paulina Guevara was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. For two years, she was on medications, but then went into kidney failure. She began dialysis immediately and was placed on the transplant waiting list. After nearly four years on dialysis, Paulina, then 19, received her transplant on February 19, 2010. During this time, her father's kidneys also began to fail. He died in October 2011 and became a tissue donor. Paulina and her mother are now Spanish-speaking volunteers for OneLegacy and share their experiences and the benefits of donation with the Latino community.

Paulina's Story

Paulina Guevara enjoyed a normal childhood, but in 2005, at age 13, her health declined quickly. She was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. For two years, she was able to postpone grueling dialysis treatments with medications, but in 2007, she went into kidney failure. Paulina's kidneys were functioning at less than 50%; she needed to start dialysis immediately. Without it, she was told, she could have a heart attack at any minute.

"I began peritoneal dialysis and my doctors placed me on the transplant waiting list. Two years later, still on dialysis, I was getting worse by the day. I felt more tired, my muscles cramped night and day, my feet and ankles started to swell, I had puffiness around my eyes and hands, and I started having high blood pressure. Each night on dialysis, I felt I was slowly dying," recalled Paulina. Only a kidney transplant could give her back the life of a normal teenage girl.

At age 19, after nearly four years on dialysis, Paulina received her kidney transplant on February 19, 2010.

"At that single moment, my life changed dramatically. Dialysis and hospitalizations all came to an end," she said. "My kidney transplant gave me the energy I did not have before. I was able to graduate from high school and today, I'm in my last year of college, studying to be an assistant nurse."

During Paulina's second year on dialysis, her father's kidneys also started to fail. He began hemodialysis treatments and was also placed on the transplant waiting list. Unfortunately, in October 2011, Paulina's 47-year-old father lost his battle with kidney disease. Even as a diabetic for more than 20 years, he was able became a tissue donor, helping to heal many lives.

Paulina is now both a recipient and a donor family member. Because of her experiences, she and her mother became Spanish-speaking volunteers for OneLegacy, the organ and tissue recovery agency in Los Angeles and surrounding counties, and they are very active sharing the benefits of donation with the Latino community.

"All the things that we do are in memory of my dad and my donor. I consider them to be my angels," Paulina explained.