Union County Ambulance Volunteer, 30, Needs Someone To Save Her Life

NORTH JERSEY — Andrea Samson, 30, has volunteered on two New Jersey rescue squads for many years, but now she needs a little help herself.

Samson, who grew up in Berkeley Heights and now lives in Bergen County, has had a rare immune deficiency called membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) since birth. It causes inflammation of the kidney membranes.

She developed severe hypertension at age 3 and spent six weeks hospitalized — a time her mom, Juliette Samson, remembers with trepidation.

"She told me at age three, ‘If you’re crying, Mom, you’re not helping me. Please don’t cry,' " Samson said recently. "That’s exactly who she is; she faces her challenges and focuses on the positive.”

Andrea's father donated a kidney to her at age 14, and when she was 20, a nurse in Bethlehem, Pa. donated a kidney to her.

But her kidney function has declined since then. Now she needs a new donor.

Samson wanted to get the word out about her daughter's need for a kidney. Her journey has been documented at shareasparekidney.com.

She continues to help others. She volunteers as a second lieutenant at the River Edge Rescue Squad and has volunteered as an EMT at the Long Hill Squad for 12 years. She also tutors kids in science and math, her mom said. She's pursuing a master's degree in acupuncture to integrate Eastern and Western medicine.

She's doing all this with 16 percent kidney function, her mother said.

“We are forever grateful for the support we’ve received," she said, "and hope someone steps forward to be her hero.”

Andrea Speaks

Even looking for a donor may help others, as someone who's not a match for Andrea may be a match for someone else.

"I do think there's a general feeling amongst service people that they don't like talking about their issues and asking for help," Andrea said on Tuesday. "I don't necessarily feel that way. It's a subject that's necessary to talk about, and I think about the good in talking about it."

Video created by Angie Assal of Pacific College

The GoFundMe to help Andrea is here.

For more information or to learn how to become a donor for Andrea or another person, email andreasparents@yahoo.com, text 908-419-0509, and or visit shareasparekidney.com. You can also take a look at her Share A Spare Kidney Facebook page or apply directly to the hospital: https://hmh.donorscreen.org/register/now