Local group raising awareness on World Kidney Day

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — For Athens resident Melissa Hall, or Missy as she likes to be called, a typical week involves several visits to DaVita to receive her dialysis treatments. However, this isn’t a new routine for her.

Hall has been battling kidney-related health issues since she was a teenager.

Two-vehicle wreck involving pedestrian causes road closure on Alabama 99

She told News 19 that she first sought medical care after a shopping trip with her family when she was a teen.

“I just couldn’t fit into things, I couldn’t get the shoes on,” Hall said. “We’re like, that’s not normal for a 14-year-old.”

In the months that followed that shopping trip, her kidneys failed, and doctors diagnosed her with Lupus.

Hall said she then went on a regimen of hemodialysis for seven years, before getting a kidney transplant in 2002.

Geoff Halbrooks ready to serve education needs in Morgan County

“I received one when I was 22 years old, at UAB [University of Alabama Birmingham],” Hall said. “That kidney lasted 18 years.”

Sadly, in 2020, Hall had to return to hemodialysis.

“It’s not easy to go do that three times a week, four-hour treatments each, you know, sometimes you have four treatments a week, or five, it depends,” Hall said.

Due to a combination of other health issues, Hall is not currently able to be put on the transplant list for a new kidney.

📲Download the WHNT News 19 App to stay updated on the go.
📧Sign up for WHNT News 19 newsletters to have news sent to your inbox.

When reflecting on her health journey thus far, Hall said, “that’s a long journey, and I still have a long one ahead of me, because it’s either dialysis, transplant… or the inevitable.”

Hall is now working with the Alabama Kidney Foundation to raise awareness about kidney disease and help others.

She said most people don’t realize how prevalent kidney problems are. In fact, Alabama ranks first in the nation for kidney failure per capita.

“It’s not just seniors who are on dialysis, I mean I’ve been on there since I was 15” Hall said.

She encourages people to donate organs if they can. She said kidneys donated by a living donor give people a better chance.

“It’s a better chance if you have a living donor to last longer, the kidney to last longer,” she said. “And what better gift, can you give?” Hall added.

She says the journey has been tough, but she’s thankful for her support system.

“My mother, for sure, and my family,” she said.

She also said she’s become close with the staff at her dialysis center.

Looking ahead, Hall is counting down the days until this year’s Alabama Kidney Foundation Walk & Celebration in Huntsville.

The walk will happen at Big Spring Park on April 20. It raises funds for the Alabama Kidney Foundation, which helps kidney patients, and provides financial assistance and support.

The Alabama Kidney Foundation is also hosting walks in the Shoals and Birmingham.

The Shoals walk will be in Florence at River Heritage Park on April 27th. The walk in Birmingham will be held on May 11th on the football field at John Carroll Catholic High School.

You can learn more about the Alabama Kidney Foundation by clicking here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.