Share your spare? Fresno family takes unique route in hopes of finding matching organ donor

A decal sticker displayed on the back of a Fresno vehicle has many wondering what exactly is going on.

“Kidney needed,” the message on the decal reads with a telephone number also listed. “Type O. Share your spare.”

Vanessa Diaz, a 31-year-old mother of three who placed the decal on the car, had no issue advertising her family’s need for a kidney.

She knows it could take years before a matching donor is found.

Her husband, Timothy Trotter, as well as her grandmother, Frances Quintero, are in need of a kidney.

Both are on dialysis and suffer from kidney disease.

“The two people who are closest to me in my life both need a new kidney,” Diaz said. “My husband and I have been together for 10 years; my grandmother pretty much raised me.

“We’re just hoping and praying that we can find a living donor who can help.”

Trotter, 34, and Quintero, 66, already are on the national donor wait list. They have been told it takes an average of seven to eight years to get a kidney, which likely would come from a deceased donor.

Since it is illegal to buy or sell organs or tissues in the United States, Diaz and her family are limited in options.

But rather than just hope for the best and wait, Diaz decided to take a more proactive approach to find a matching living donor.

So she made similar decals that she’d seen on social media of others around the country who were looking for donor help and placed it on their family minivan.

Trotter was intrigued by the decal idea but wasn’t sure about making his health condition so public.

“My husband isn’t the type to ask people for things, especially their organs,” Diaz said.

But Trotter eventually decided to go along with the idea.

After all, the couple already had reached out to many of their family and friends about the possibility of becoming a donor but hadn’t found success.

Maybe a random stranger with a big heart — and an extra kidney to spare — could help.

At the least, Diaz figured the decal could raise awareness about the need for people to become organ donors.

On social media, one photo of a decal on the back of Quintero’s car ended up getting retweeted almost 3,000 times with many offering luck and prayers.

“We get mixed responses,” Diaz said of people seeing the decal on their back window. “Some people think we’re trying to buy a kidney or something weird is going on. Other people are genuinely curious and ask how they can help.

“We still haven’t found that one, but we have not lost hope.”

Trotter has been on the donor list for three years.

Each year gets a bit more difficult, Trotter admits.

From mood swings to depression to limited physical activity, Trotter said his life has drastically changed since his one kidney started weakening. He had his other kidney removed when he was 15 years old.

A football injury back in high school forced Trotter to undergo an ultrasound then that ultimately revealed that he had a kidney disease. Turned out that kidney disease runs in Trotter’s family, and doctors told him he needed to have one of his kidneys removed.

Trotter since has tried to be mindful of what he eats, how much sun he gets and how much physical activity he exerts.

Nevertheless, Trotter ended up diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease after he began experiencing pain five years ago near his kidney and sometimes his back.

“It’s a genetic thing,” Trotter said. “I was told there was a 50-50 chance of it being passed on. Nobody in my family knew about it until the football injury.

“I’ve kind of known in the back of my head that this moment would arrive and I would need a new kidney. I’ve tried to prepare myself for the long haul and journey. Now I’m trying to prepare myself for the long haul (in) waiting for a matching donor.”

As more people learned of Trotter’s condition and noticed the decal of the couple’s vehicle, others wanted to help in advertising for a kidney.

So Diaz created more decals, along with magnets, that people could put on their cars to help spread the message.

She said there are about 30 cars up and down California with magnets or decals that have the same message as the one on Diaz’s van.

A magnet, as opposed to a decal, allowed others to display the kidney needed message on their cars without it being difficult to take off.

Diaz said they’ve had about 10 people try to help in becoming a donor since they displayed their decals a year and a half ago. None, however, have yet to work out so far for various reasons.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, most studies suggest that a person who donates a kidney will still live a normal, healthy life with one kidney.

It’s why donating an organ often is referred to as “Giving the gift of life.”

“You know, I’m just taking things day by day and trying to stay positive,” Trotter said. “I want to be there for our children. I want to see them grow and play with them. I’d like to help other people who are dealing with the same disease as me.

“There’s a lot I still want to do. I’ve got a lot more life to live.”

For more information how to help, contact Vanessa Diaz at 559-486-9943 or visit www.facebook.com/shareyourspare2020.