HENRICO, Va. -- Jessica Edwards says she may look fine on the outside, but the inside—she is literally dying.
The 27-year-old Highland Springs mom isn’t ready for that.
One glance at her miracle baby, a little boy who loves her so much, and Jessica gains strength to fight the kidney disease in her body.
Jessica says she had no idea she had kidney disease until she was pregnant with her son Jayce nearly four years ago.
It was a diagnosis so grim she says she was advised to abort for health reasons.
Jessica says she couldn’t bring herself to do it and delivered her son 10 weeks early.
He was just shy of three pounds.
“I got an ultrasound and then when I saw his legs kick, I said no,” she says. “I said I’ve got to fight for my child.”
Since then, Jessica has endured some tough bouts of pain and sickness.
She’s required to do dialysis treatments daily; ten hour-long sessions each night in her home.
She says she desperately needs a kidney.
She’s on the list for a kidney transplant and says recent news from her doctor prompted her to take a bold step.
She took her story to social media, posting her search for an organ donor on Facebook. She says she prays for a miracle.
“I used to think there's no way I'll get a kidney in time. That’s how I felt but when I got on Facebook and in one night had four hundred likes and shares, that’s when a little bit of faith happened.”
She says she’s grateful that already at least three people have gone to the hospital to get tested to see if they are eligible to donate a kidney. Jessica says those results should be in next week.
She knows the question of how much time remains for her hovers over her head.
Jessica says giving up isn’t an option, because of her little guy; a cute little 4-year-old boy who loves Scooby Doo.
“I feel blessed and I feel happy. I also feel kind of sad. He can’t grow up without me. He just can’t, there’s no way. I didn’t grow up without my mom. I don’t expect him to grow up without me,” Jessica says, with tears in her eyes.
"I want to see his first car, first girlfriend, watch him go to prom, all of that, I want to see it."
The 27-year-old can’t work because of her kidney disease, but says she will keep a positive attitude through it all.
After her story aired here on CB6 News, we immediately received calls from viewers wanting to help. Some offered holiday assistance for her son’s Christmas gifts. Others offered to go and get tested to see if they might be eligible to donate a kidney to Jessica.
There is a Go Fund Me page set up to assist Jessica Edwards her with monthly medicine expenses and daily living expenses.
If you want to donate, click here.
Stay with CBS 6 News. We will keep you updated on Jessica’s story.
