Pueblo West woman in desperate need of a new kidney

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO)- A woman from Pueblo West is asking for help from the community in hopes that someone will be a match and be a kidney donor.     

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, every 8 minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list.

Christina Maldonado said that back in 2016, she was diagnosed with stage three Chronic Kidney Disease. Last week, when she went to see her doctor, she received some devastating news. 

"They told me to go ahead and start looking for a kidney donor," said Maldonado. "Right now, my GRF is at a 15, so when I talked to the surgeons at UC Health, they told me that they. I probably should have gotten on a lot sooner for the transplant list."

Maldonado said she's had to limit her favorite pastime. 

"I like to spend time with my grandkids and stuff, but it's hard because I'm always tired and exhausted all the time," said Maldonado

Once Maldonado and her husband Alex got the heartbreaking news, family and friends started to see if someone was a match.

"They started going through the process to see if they're compatible. I'm A+ and, so my family members are different blood types," said Maldonado

Maldonado is staying true to their wedding vows, 'through sickness and health,' and is always by her side.

"Sometimes I miss work, so I could go to her appointments. A lot of it's traveling to UC Health," said Maldonado. "The fight's not over. We're still fighting, and we're going to continue fighting until we find it."

Christina said if she can't find a kidney donor, she could be on the donor wait-list for up to 7 years.