In 2008 at the age of 25, Will Wellman had finished graduate school when he began experiencing symptoms, including fatigue, stomach pains, and weight gain. He decided to visit a primary care doctor. After running tests, they determined that kidney issues were the cause. A week later, a kidney biopsy revealed that Will had the kidney disease Minimal Change Disease. He was immediately put on steroids to combat the disease. Unfortunately, the disease showed no positive response to the steroids, and Will was put on a variety of immunosuppressants and then chemotherapy. Will’s body did not respond to either treatment and he traveled to Boston to consult with specialists. They performed a second biopsy in Boston and determined that the Minimal Change Disease had morphed into Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

Eighteen months after his original diagnosis, Will’s kidneys failed and he began dialysis at the age of 26. Nine months later, his mother donated a kidney for a transplant. Although the operation was successful, the disease relapsed and permanently damaged half of the new kidney within three weeks. Will was placed back on dialysis and will remain on the treatment indefinitely until doctors discover a cure for FSGS.