In 2021 Dj and Tiffany moved 250 miles away from home, away from close friends and family. Shortly after getting into a new groove with work and kids, the Hockman clan received life altering news. Covid, alone, presented a whole host of challenges and difficulties, but it hit this family a little extra hard. The doctors believe that the virus damaged Djs kidneys irreparably, effectively putting him into stage 5 kidney failure.

Since the offical diagnosis was given, Dj has undergone a battery of testing and a surgery to place a Pd catheter that allowed Dj to start dialysis. The dialysis is what filter toxins out of Djs body keeping him alive. He does this EVERY DAY for nine hours. Dj has been placed on the transplant list, but these lists are long and the wait is terribly slow. He has the very real potential to be on that list for up to six years. That wait is too long, my friends.

Many people have stepped up to try to be a living donor and didn't make the cut. The fit has to be almost perfect and the donor has to be in top-notch health in order to donate. Now enter a special kind of human. Tiffany, Djs wife, was initially turned down as a donor due to her BMI.. but she worked her butt off for months and crushed it! She has now been approved to be a living donor!

Her efforts prove that not all heroes wear capes, some wear aprons. For those of you that are locals to Strasburg, Va, Tiffany owned Tippy's Bakery and was heavily involved in her community. She volunteered her time and supported her community by donating to organizations throughout the Shenandoah Valley and to causes close to her heart, as well as, helping people that were in need. She showed all of us her love and support, so lets do the same for her and her family!

While Tiffany wasn't a perfect match to donate to her husband, they are doing a paired donation. Its kind of like a kidney buddy circle. This type of donation will still have both Dj and Tiffany out of work and in recovery at the same time. They aren't sure when the surgery will take place, but it could literally happen at any moment. They just need to be matched with their "Kidney Buddy" and then they get the green light for the transplant.

While this is FABULOUS news, we all know that life and bills do not slowdown, even when we are forced to. The day to day expenses, medical bills, lodging and food on top of not being able to work during a lengthy recovery; is all going to take a toll.

With that being said, anything helps. Please donated what you can. Five dollars multiplied by a couple hundred people can make a HUGE impact. If funds are tight, like they are for a lot of people, donate your time and share this story. Share it over and over again. Let them be heard so they can be helped.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story.

#livingdonor#findyourbuddy