Dior Chambers

In 2023, Dior Chambers had to give birth to her son at just five months due to complications from chronic kidney disease and preeclampsia. He didn’t make it. Doctors thought her kidneys might recover after the birth, but instead they worsened, leading to her being placed on the waiting list for a kidney.  

Dior has been deeply affected by kidney disease throughout her life – including supporting her husband Dominique through 14 years of dialysis before his transplant in 2022.     

Read more about Dior

Dominique Chambers

Dominique battled diabetes at a young age and was placed on dialysis due to chronic kidney disease. Having to go to dialysis regularly really impacted his life – he couldn’t travel with his new wife. He even got to a point where he was unable to work.  

In 2022, after 14 years of dialysis, he received his kidney transplant that transformed his life, giving him renewed hope and a future to plan with Dior. His experience showed Dior how donation can completely change your life and continues to help her stay positive through her own health battle.  

Dominique wasn’t the first person in Dior’s life to struggle with chronic kidney disease. She also saw the impact the disease had on her own father, Elijah Coley.  

Elijah Coley

Dior was just 13 years old when her father Elijah Coley passed away. Elijah had been diagnosed with renal failure and placed on dialysis for years. He passed away before he was able to be placed on the waiting list for a kidney.  

The loss of her father left a lasting impact on Dior, shaping her understanding of the seriousness of kidney disease from a young age. 

Dior hopes that by sharing her story, she might encourage minority communities to become organ donors and take charge of their health.  

While she waits for that lifesaving kidney, she’s been able to connect with others going through similar experiences, including Bernice Conn.

Bernice Conn

Bernice Conn never expected a routine physical in March 2022 to change her life. 

What followed was a string of diagnoses—end-stage renal disease, colon cancer, and multiple myeloma.  

Despite the shock, Bernice tackled the challenges head-on: hospital stays, chemotherapy, dialysis, a stem cell transplant, and an ongoing struggle to get on the kidney transplant list. 

After a stem cell transplant and a long recovery, Bernice was declared cancer-free and able to apply for a kidney transplant. But the process was anything but simple. Finally, in December 2024, Bernice was placed on the transplant list.

A mother of three, she’s missed prom pictures, track meets, football games, and more.  

Despite all she’s been through, Bernice continues to raise awareness and advocate for others. She created a Facebook page to share her experience and offer support to patients like Dior Chambers, whom she met at her dialysis center.