Whuddup, fam? This is the Southwest Strangla Shaggy 2 Dope coming at you on behalf of my beautiful wife Renee. Her brother and my brother-in-law Nate Wilkins is in dire need of a kidney transplant.

Here’s some background– Nate Wilkins has acute on chronic renal failure which has left him with the need for a kidney transplant. At the age of two, he had a blockage that caused total failure in one kidney and left the remaining kidney partially damaged. The doctors originally told  Renee’s mom he wasn’t peeing at night because he was becoming potty trained. Her mom carries so much guilt because she listened to them. He was able to have a fairly normal childhood with some restrictions. However, at the age of 20, his kidney only had 10% function remaining. He needed a transplant. To the family’s relief, Renee’s oldest brother Steve was a perfect match! The transplant happened around Nate’s 21^stbirthday. Over the next 18 years, he would need to take multiple medications that would prevent his body from rejecting the organ. He also developed gout, a painful condition that leaves joints swollen and renders him immobile. This didn’t stop him from trying to lead an active life fishing, hunting, working, and the best part … having a family. Renee’s niece and nephew are two of the most beautiful children. Smart, charismatic, funny, and obviously take after their aunt! Nate is now almost 40 years old, and his body has completely rejected the organ. He began dialysis while waiting for a donor to be found. There have been attempts, but no luck yet. As if things couldn’t get worse, his body is not responding well to him being on peritoneal dialysis (which allows for him to continue working), and doctors are recommending hemodialysis, which is where a person goes to a transfusion center/hospital, and their blood is filtered out of their body so the toxins can be removed, and then it is filtered back in. This can take hours to complete, and often leaves people feeling sick and exhausted, sometimes with dangerously low blood pressure. It’s stale as fuck. Nate is self-employed, and hemodialysis would cause crippling debt. He has tried to be placed on donor lists in other states, but his current insurance will not cover it. How ridiculous and fucked up is that??? “Hi sir, there is a kidney that would match perfectly, but you can’t have it,” He is also trying to switch hospital systems and have a physician through Beaumont Health System. Thanks to an updated screening system, the wait is two years less than surrounding hospitals. This is dope, because the reality is many people choose to stop receiving dialysis because of how hard it is on the body. They would rather die than continue to suffer through the treatment.

A bit of information on being a kidney donor- you only need one kidney to survive, and most everyone has two! Steve(Renee’s brother who first donated), is 46 years old and lives a happy and healthy life with a wife and two kids of his own. You can live in another state, but must come to Michigan to donate, and Nate’s insurance covers the surgery. The transplant procedure is now done with a scope, and is considered minimally invasive. You’ll wonder how a kidney made it through such a small hole! Recovery time is very short, and many donors return to work quickly. March is Kidney Awareness Month, so read more about the kidney at www.kidney.org

So here’s the deal—if you are a Juggalo with type O blood (Nate is O+, so he can accept O+ or O-), and would be interested in possibly donating a kidney for my fresh-as-fuck brother-in-law, contact the transplant coordinators Brenda or Amy at 313-343-7470 or Diane at 313-343-3443.

Thank you, fam, for reading and on behalf of my family…Thank you and mad motherfuckin clown love!

–Shaggy 2 Dope

If you can help out, or know someone who can, please don’t hesitate to contact them!