A firsthand memoir
Tito Needs a Kidney
A Journey of Resilience, Community, and Hope
Tito Needs a Kidney is a candid firsthand account of kidney failure, dialysis, two kidney transplants, transplant loss, recovery, and the work of rebuilding a life around all of it.
It tells the parts of kidney disease that medical instructions often cannot: what treatment can feel like, how illness changes independence and relationships, and what it takes to keep moving forward when the plan falls apart.
About the Book
Tito’s story follows the progression from an IgA nephropathy diagnosis to kidney failure, dialysis, transplant evaluation, living donation, the failure of a first transplant, a return to dialysis, and ultimately a second kidney transplant.
The book is not meant to explain what every kidney patient will experience. It is one patient’s story, told honestly and in detail, for people who want to better understand the human side of kidney disease, dialysis, donation, and transplantation.
What the Book Covers
- Life before kidney disease and the path to diagnosis
- Starting dialysis and adjusting to a new routine
- Fluid restrictions, fatigue, treatment schedules, and dialysis adequacy
- The transplant evaluation and waiting-list process
- Living kidney donation and Tito’s first transplant
- Post-transplant recovery and complications
- Transplant failure and returning to dialysis
- A second transplant and rebuilding a new kind of normal
- Accepting help, setting boundaries, and living with uncertainty
Who This Book Is For
- People approaching or living with dialysis
- Kidney transplant candidates and recipients
- Living donors and people considering kidney donation
- Families, caregivers, friends, and coworkers trying to understand the experience
- Healthcare staff, educators, librarians, and patient-resource programs seeking a firsthand patient perspective
Book Details
Lived Experience, Not Medical Advice
Tito is not a physician or medical professional. This book and website share his personal experience with kidney disease, dialysis, and transplantation. They do not provide medical advice, diagnose conditions, or recommend treatment.
Medical decisions should be made with your own nephrologist, dialysis team, transplant center, or other qualified healthcare professional.
For Libraries, Reviewers, Clinics, and Organizations
Tito Needs a Kidney may be useful for libraries, dialysis and transplant patient-resource programs, kidney organizations, educators, reviewers, and others looking for a firsthand account of kidney failure, dialysis, transplantation, living donation, and recovery.
Additional bibliographic, ordering, review, and resource-use information will be available on the professional and library information page.