Pursuing the Gift of Life
Since she was 12 years old, Shemiah Sanchez has known struggle.
During her freshman year of high school, the Newnan, Georgia native learned she had lupus, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s tissues and organs. She had been suffering from swelling, migraines and flu-like symptoms, and bloodwork results unveiled the culprit.
“I went to see my pediatrician to have lab work done, and when they called back the same day, I knew something was up,” Sanchez recalled.
Because of her diagnosis, Sanchez was nervous to begin her athletic career at LSU. She was already battling fatigue, joint pain and swelling, and it was difficult for her to keep up with workouts and practices during her first year as a Tiger.
Coming out of high school, Sanchez was a two-time All-State selection with 15 individual and career school records. Her team won the regional championship in all four seasons she was a member. Internationally, Sanchez played for Team Puerto Rico during the summer of 2015. In 2016, her collegiate rookie year and still struggling with her health, Sanchez posted a three-game hitting streak and reached base in six consecutive games.
After the 2016 season, doctors determined that Sanchez’s autoimmune disease was attacking her kidneys. Once per month for four months, Sanchez flew back and forth between Louisiana and Georgia to receive chemotherapy treatments. Upon returning to LSU after each trip, she would try to get back up to speed at practice.
The chemotherapy treatments stabilized Sanchez for the rest of her softball career. In 2017, she went 3-3 on steal attempts and made the Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll. She hit the second most doubles on the team in 2018, and finished her career co-leading the team in home runs in 2019. That same year, she ranked eighth in the SEC for home runs and 28th in the nation. Sanchez was also named to the All-South Region First Team.
Following graduation, Sanchez’s kidneys flared again as the lupus took more of a toll on them. She underwent chemotherapy for six months, but it was only a temporary fix.
In May of 2021, Sanchez started dialysis treatment for end-stage renal disease. She undergoes dialysis three times per week for three hours, and has been on the kidney transplant list since the fall of 2021.
“I was shocked,” Sanchez recalled. “I never really had any of the symptoms of kidney failure until it was too late.”
Despite the trials she faces, Sanchez remains positive because of all the encouraging words and support of her family and friends.
“It’s what keeps me going,” Sanchez said. “LSU especially has been such a big support. Some of my former teammates and my former assistant coach, Lindsay Leftwich, even tried to see if they were a match. None of them were, but the support from my LSU family has meant so much to me.”
Sanchez currently resides in Georgia with her parents, and hopes that others can learn from what she has gone through. Specifically, Sanchez believes if people have a better understanding of what lupus is, they can help themselves and others remain healthy.
“When I first got diagnosed in 2012, I didn’t know much about it,” Sanchez explained. “Maybe if I had known more, I could have done things differently and changed some things about the situation. Now, I know more and how to take care of myself better.”
In order to move up the transplant list, the most ideal scenario is to have a family member that is a match. One can determine whether or not they are a match through various medical testing performed by qualified doctors.
If a donor does not have any other diseases to put them at risk for kidney failure or other health complications, the donor can live a perfectly normal life with only one kidney. Doctors will test both kidneys to ensure they are normal, and to confirm that the one remaining kidney will sustain the donator. In fact, some individuals are born with only one kidney, and never know it.
Donors who are living with only one kidney can still remain as active as they desire. According to Dr. James Morris, even high-level football players succeed in their career with one kidney.
Those with diabetes or other pre-existing health conditions are at higher risk for kidney disease. Continuing to monitor your blood pressure, eating habits and exercise routine can help decrease your risk of developing kidney disease. For more information on how you can help Shemiah, EMAIL: kidney4miah@gmail.com.
