SAN ANTONIO — A local teacher is building awareness for a disease that affects 37 million people in the U.S., kidney disease.
Zanani Jefferson’s symptoms were so severe it forced her to stop teaching her students before the school year ended last year. For the last four years the special education teacher has been waiting for a gift that would keep her alive, a kidney. For now she has to use a machine to stay alive. Making it difficult to be present for her students.
For Zanani, no effort is too small to try to promote awareness of kidney disease. Her kidneys failed at 27-years-old.
“I have been going to churches," she said. “Me and my family have been passing out fliers, going door to door.”
What has been taking a toll is her dialysis treatment and the loss of time with her students.
"Functions at work, like a school play or parents night, meet the teacher, I can't stay long because I have to leave," Zanani said.
Zanani says dialysis is a ten-hour process.
"I could die, because my father died…from kidney disease," she said.
Zanani is responsible for supporting her family. But she says her students: fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders also need her.
"If they want to just vent, they'll come to me," she said. "If they want to eat lunch with me and if they don't want to deal with the busy noisy cafeteria, 'Go to Ms. Jefferson.'"
Common life goals like traveling and starting a family seem out of reach for her. Zanani says her story isn't over yet.
"You can't really live to the fullest because there's always that kidney failure that's holding you back. And every time I connect to the machine, I'm just restarting the clock," she said.
To learn how you can help Zanani, click here, reach out to the donor hotline: 210-575-4483.
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