BATON ROUGE – In a quiet, heartfelt voice that trembles with emotion, McKenna Mason shares the story of a man who’s always been her rock — her father, a dedicated worker, a loving grandfather, and the man who taught her what it means to live a life of service. Her father is in desperate need of a kidney donor.
At just 33, McKenna’s father was diagnosed with diabetes. Like many, he didn’t immediately grasp the severity of the disease.
“I guess, for the first six to ten years, he didn’t really take it seriously,” she recalls. “By the time he did, it had already taken a toll on his kidneys.”
Now 64, her father is battling stage 5 kidney failure. His days are spent working for the Department of Transportation and Development, a job he takes immense pride in — even pointing out road stripes he painted to his children and grandchildren — and his nights are consumed by hours of peritoneal dialysis, hooked to a machine that keeps him alive.
“He’s on it for 10 hours every single day,” McKenna says. “He gets home from work at 4:30 and has to be hooked up by 5:30. He can’t go out to eat with us anymore. He can’t even run to the store in the evening. Dialysis has completely taken over his life.”
Despite the fatigue and physical toll, McKenna says her dad never complains.
“Even though he’s exhausted, if someone calls needing help, he’ll go. That’s just who he is.”
McKenna’s voice breaks when she talks about the moments her family has lost — fishing trips, family dinners, quality time with his six grandchildren.
“I think he has so much more to offer this world,” she says. “And I think that’s why God has left him here.”
She can’t donate her kidney. Health issues of her own make that impossible. But she’s holding out hope — not just for a direct match, but through a life-saving alternative: the Paired Donation Program.
“In the paired donation program, if I can’t give to my dad directly, my kidney could go to someone else in need. And in turn, their loved one — if they match — could give to my dad,” she explains. “It’s like a switch program. It doesn’t matter the blood type. If you’re willing to donate, it moves my dad up the list and gives him a better shot.”
McKenna recently turned to social media, sharing a heartfelt post asking for help. Her words cut deep:
“I know this is asking a lot and I honestly don’t know how else to navigate finding my dad a kidney other than turning to social media for help… Dialysis is not living. It’s surviving. It’s exhaustion, pain, and watching someone you love slowly fade… If I could donate my kidney, I wouldn’t have hesitated for a second. But I can’t. And that’s the hardest part—knowing I can’t save him myself.”
In a world often clouded by noise and distraction, McKenna is asking people to pause — and to consider giving the ultimate gift: a second chance at life.
Potential donors can fill out a brief form linked in McKenna’s post. The transplant organization will then reach out with next steps. Even if someone isn’t a direct match, their donation could create a domino effect that saves not just her father’s life, but many others.
Through tears and determination, McKenna holds onto hope — hope that someone, somewhere, will see her father the way she does.
“He showed us what it means to be a husband, a father, a servant. My brother is the man he is today because of him. I married a man like my dad because I knew the kind of heart I was looking for. He deserves this chance.”
If you’d like to learn more or begin the donor process, go to Oschner’s living donor website.
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