BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Andrea Samson, 30, has lived with a rare kidney disease since she was a child.
"She told me at age three, ‘If you’re crying, Mom, you’re not helping me. Please don’t cry,' " her mom, Juliette Samson, said in an interview this year.
Samson, who grew up in Berkeley Heights and now lives in Bergen County, has volunteered for two rescue squads, including in River Vale. Now she's the one who needs help.
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.
She has a rare immune deficiency called membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), which causes inflammation of the kidney membranes. Her journey has been documented at shareasparekidney.com.
Next week, the River Edge Volunteer Ambulance Service is running a blood drive in Samson's honor. The blood will help adults and children with a variety of needs. Donors can also have their cheek swabbed to see if they're a match for Samson.
The event takes place May 28 from noon to 6 p.m. at the River Edge Volunteer Ambulance headquarters, at 210 Continental Ave. in River Edge. You can sign up and get more information at www.nybc.org/drive
The GoFundMe to help Andrea is here.
To learn how to become a kidney donor for Samson 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
Video created by Angie Assal of Pacific College
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