'I just want to be here for my daughters': Indy man needs a kidney. Could he have yours?
The 33-year-old single father is in stage 5 kidney failure. He's been on dialysis for the past three years.
Short has Alport syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by progressive kidney disease, often leading to renal failure. It can also cause hearing loss and eye abnormalities.
"It runs in my family, and all of my siblings have it," Short told IndyStar. "I'm currently waiting for a kidney transplant. I'm trying to hold on, but I can feel it. My body is shutting down, and if I don't get a kidney, I'm preparing to tell my girls goodbye."
He's the sole provider for his daughters, June Charlotte, 4, and Luna Mae, 3. The blue-collar dad is a truck driver who works 50-60 hours a week for D Transport. His daily routine consists of waking up at 4:30 a.m. and taking the girls to daycare before heading out on the road for his job at 6 a.m.
His oldest, "Junebug," is always excited and tries to help out any way she knows how.
"She's always like, 'Daddy, you want me to get your meds for you?' or she sees me super tired and says, 'Daddy, let me go to work. I'll go to work for you.' It takes a mental toll on you. I can't just play with them in the park or do things like that with them because I'm so tired."
His youngest, Luna, is his "wild child." Both, he says, are a blessing. He divorced their mother three years ago because he said she struggled with addiction. Still, he has a strong support system within his family and his fiancée helps him with the girls.
"We're set to get married and we're in the process of having her adopt them," Short said. "I've maxed out my life insurance policy just for them. It's hard to explain to a 3- and 4-year-old that daddy might not be here anymore. Junebug asked me one day, 'Daddy, are you dying?' and I said no. I didn't want to scare her, but we've been slowly trying to get them to understand."
The family is doing genetic testing on the girls to find out early if they have the genetic disorder, too.
Short is on the transplant list and has been putting call-outs on social media for the past three years, hoping he could find someone willing and able to donate the organ he needs to prolong his life.
"Please consider getting tested to see if you are a match," Short asks people in an online post. "This is my last attempt to make it for my children. The surgery will be 100% paid for, and my family will be forever grateful. I just want to be here for my daughters."
Short's had many people try to donate a kidney to him, but he hasn't found a good match. He's an A-positive blood type and can take a kidney from any donor who has Type A or O blood and has a transplant coordinator through IU Health.
Dr. Asif A. Sharfuddin, who specializes in Nephrology & Kidney Diseases for IU Health Physicians Kidney Health and is the medical director of kidney transplants, said the need for living donors simply does not meet the demand.
Sharfuddin, Short said, is also the doctor who did his aunt's transplant in 2001 when he was in residency, and has seen him in January of every year.
Sharfuddin said 90,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant in the U.S., and only 24,000 receive them. About 6,000 transplant recipients have kidneys from living donors, while the majority have kidneys from deceased donors.
If a patient doesn't have a living kidney donor, they typically wait at least 3-5 years. By remaining in kidney failure, recipients, like Short, can get sicker over time, so timing is important in kidney donation.
'People think it starts with being a match, but the process starts even before that," Sharfuddin told IndyStar. "There are steps ahead of time before we even get to the match."
At IU Health, a potential donor can go to a local lab for blood type testing to see if they're compatible with a recipient. Tissue type-testing needs to be done, too, and a kit will be sent to the potential donor for them to get done at a local lab.
Potential donors also undergo a psychological evaluation throughout the process.
If they are a good match, surgery can take nearly three hours and donors usually go home the next day.
People worried they might need that kidney later in life have a reassurance of sorts.
"If a donor ever had a problem in the future where they needed a kidney themselves, they have priority on the waiting list," Sharfuddin said. 'They did this gracious act years before, so of course, they shouldn't have to wait years for a kidney, and that's built into our systems around the country. Luckily, we don't have to use it often because that chance is very low."
Anyone interested in being tested as a potential donor should contact IU Health's transplant center andfill out a form online at iuhealth.org/find-medical-services/living-kidney-donation. The forms are reviewed by transplant coordinators, and if someone can move along in the process, they'll get a phone call.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Youth homelessness in Indiana: An invisible -- but not hopeless -- struggle
Indiana public schools have reported an estimated 44% increase in homeless students from the 2020-21 to the 2023-24 school years. This mirrors a national trend, with youth homelessness rising by an estimated 32% across the United States. Much of our data originates from the Department of Education, which under the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987, defines homeless children as 'individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.' Breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness, community leaders and advocates say, must start by supporting youths who don't have a place to call home. Without early intervention, the trauma of being homeless — both physical and emotional — can leave lasting scars on individuals and ripple effects throughout our communities. 'It was nightmarish,' Victor Hutchinson of Indianapolis said of his childhood spent bouncing between homeless shelters and staying with friends alongside his mother. Now 24, Hutchinson is a participant in Outreach Indiana — a local nonprofit working to equip and empower young Hoosiers between the ages 14–24 experiencing homelessness. For many Hoosiers, youth homelessness is an invisible issue. It's often hidden, undocumented, and underreported. And it looks very different from adult homelessness. Homeless youth may sleep on the street one night and on a friend's couch the next. This kind of intermittent homelessness makes it harder for them to qualify for state assistance programs, which often prioritize chronically homeless adults. The IndyStar estimates there were 22,114 homeless students (Pre K-12) in Indiana during the 2023-24 school year. The most recent count represents a 44% increase from the five-year low of 15,373 in 2020-21 school year. Of Indiana's homeless students, 28% of lived in Marion County in the 2022-23 school year, according to SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan Youth homelessness is fueled by a range of factors, including family breakdowns, forced evictions, and cultural beliefs that turning 18 marks the end of parental responsibility, often forcing young adults out of their homes. 'I always felt like I was on the journey by myself, because we didn't have adults around us who could give us proper guidance, they didn't know what to do," said Trinity Hopkins, a 24-year-old local author and current Outreach participant. "So how could I expect them to teach me?' Homeless students consistently fall behind their housed peers in academic performance. For example, only 57% of homeless students were proficient in third-grade early literacy assessments, according to the Brightlane Learning Homeless Education 2024 Report. That's 1.4 times lower than the 82% proficiency rate among housed students. Several factors contribute to this gap: Lack of quality sleep, which is essential for a child's development and learning. Higher rates of serious health issues, such as asthma, which affect nearly twice as many homeless students compared to their housed peers. Food insecurity, with homeless students having reduced access to nutritious meals and being twice as likely to skip breakfast. 'Food insecurity is further exacerbated during the summer months, as many students rely on school for guaranteed meals like breakfast and lunch,' said Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national nonprofit focused on ending homelessness through education. Loss of safety and structure: According to the Department of Education, nearly 80% of homeless students are 'doubled up,' meaning they share housing with others due to economic hardship. Constant movement makes it difficult to maintain stability. Missed learning opportunities: Homeless students often miss out on summer enrichment programs, especially when they move between school districts. College students face renewed homelessness: Many campuses close dorms during summer, leaving unhoused students without shelter. 'They come back to Indy, for example, and they are homeless again,' said Andrew Neal. Statewide data reveals a troubling racial disparity: According to SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Black or African American students made up 31% of homeless students in Indiana (2022-23), despite representing only 11% of the overall student population. This overrepresentation reflects broader systemic inequities. African Americans are disproportionately affected across all categories of homelessness in Indiana, highlighting the urgent need to address racial bias and structural barriers in housing, education, and social services. Allow minors to apply for health insurance independently, such as Medicaid, without requiring parental consent. Eliminate racial disparities in housing, including discriminatory evictions, loan denials, and high housing costs. Repeal laws that criminalize homelessness, shifting the focus from punishment to support. Intervene early in a young person's housing crisis to prevent long-term or chronic homelessness in adulthood. The Public Policy Institute at Indiana University emphasizes that to curb the rise in youth homelessness, the state must strengthen programming for unhoused youth. This includes allowing unaccompanied minors to access healthcare, addressing racial inequities in housing, and, most urgently, ending the criminalization of homelessness. Currently, laws in Indiana make it illegal for people without homes to do basic things like sleep outside, sit in public spaces, stay in their cars, or ask for help. These laws can result in tickets, fines, or even arrests — punishments that only deepen the struggles of young people trying to survive. If we got rid of these laws, homeless youth could rest safely, get the help they need, and look for jobs without worrying about getting in trouble for trying to survive. Beyond the human cost, criminalizing homelessness is also financially inefficient. A national study found that placing a homeless youth in the criminal justice system for one-year costs $53,665, compared to just $5,887 to permanently move that same youth off the streets. The Indiana University Policy Institute found between 2021 and 2023, Indiana's corrections spending nearly doubled, from $849 million to an estimated $1.7 billion. Other cities have found success with more compassionate approaches. In 2015, Milwaukee County launched a Housing First Initiative, providing housing without preconditions. The results were dramatic: municipal violations dropped by 82%, and the homeless population fell from 1,521 to 900. 'If we truly want to address street homelessness, we need to focus more on upstream factors, cutting it off at the source, when a young person first becomes unhoused,' said Neal of Outreach Indiana. "The longer a youth remains on the streets, the more trauma they experience and the more likely they are to face long-term, chronic homelessness.' Fortunately, organizations like Outreach Indiana are already doing the groundwork, offering essentials like fresh clothes, hot meals, showers, and a safe, welcoming space for youth in need. 'I feel like this is a safe home for me… and I come here every chance I get. I wish they had housing because I would literally live here. You can tell they put love into it. Even if it's a bad day, you wouldn't know,' said Trinity Hopkins. But Outreach goes beyond the basics. They help youth build futures. 'If you need anything — literally anything — they're willing to help. They paid for my for-hire exam so I could start driving commercial vehicles (CDL),' said Victor Hutchinson, who recently started working at a moving company with Outreach's support. His advice to other young people facing homelessness is simple but powerful. 'It takes a lot of patience, so just endure. Endure all of it," Hutchinson said. "Because you know, within time, something will come up. Something will get better.' Outreach Youth Hotline: (317) 699-1994
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Beech Grove named Indiana's first gold level Clean Community in IDEM program
Indiana's Clean Community program handed out its first gold level status to Beech Grove since the state initiative began in 2021. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management awarded the city the highest status of the program July 25. The Clean Community program is an effort to make Indiana a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable place to live, according to IDEM. 'City leadership worked earnestly on behalf of their citizens to ensure a community dedicated to environmental stewardship,' IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods said in a statement. 'Being the first municipality to reach this milestone is a significant and well-deserved honor.' The Clean Community program includes three levels of achievement — bronze, silver and gold — which increase as municipalities complete more sustainability projects. Beech Grove has installed natural spaces in parking areas, conducted an inventory of its Brownfield sites, passed ordinances improving stormwater management, and hosted toxic substance disposal events. The city also runs a quarterly drive-up recycling effort with the next event coming up Sept. 6. 'We are honored to work alongside IDEM to become the first city in Indiana to earn gold status, as it reflects on our community's commitment to being thoughtful stewards of our environment for generations to come,' Beech Grover Mayor James Coffman said in a statement. IDEM's Clean Community program is voluntary, and so far 12 municipalities have signed up. Bloomington, Evansville and New Chicago along with four other cities are in the bronze tier, while Fishers, Zionsville, Richmond and Brown County are on the silver tier. For now, Beech Grove stands alone in gold tier. Bronze tier achievement requires a municipality to have a history of positive environmental compliance. The municipality must then create a Clean Team to prove there are dedicated resources toward sustainability. To move into the silver tier, a municipality must meet all bronze level requirements and also implement between four and eight projects. They also must measure and report on performance metrics. To achieve the top gold tier, a municipality must meet all bronze and silver requirements as well as implementing four to eight new projects along with monitoring requirements. The program is aimed at helping communities become more sustainable and resilient by providing a pathway for continuous improvement, according to IDEM. The recognition doesn't come with a trophy or monetary prize, but participation earns cities recognition when applying for competitive grants and assistance programs. The Clean Community program is open to all of Indiana's towns, cities and counties. IDEM hosts annual meetings for participating locations. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Newsweek
Beloved Dog Who Went Missing During Texas Floods Found Alive
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A dog that went missing during the devastating floods in Central Texas earlier this month was found alive with help from a trackable GPS collar. The Context During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Texas experienced severe flash floods, particularly along the Medina and Guadalupe Rivers. The flooding left a trail of devastation, with over 100 people reported dead. What To Know Erin Doguet was 1,500 miles away in Colorado when she learned that her ranch, which backs up to the Medina River, was flooding and her livestock guardian dog, Ziva, was missing, People reported. Over 200 animals at the ranch had been left in the care of Doguet's sister, Shannon, and a pet sitter, Taelyn. "Ziva took off after a predator or possibly also spooked by the big storm, causing her to end up on the back section of the ranch, which is bordered by the Medina River. As she crossed the river, the flood waters rose swiftly, trapping her," Doguet told the outlet. Doguet had previously fitted Ziva with a Tractive GPS collar. Using the device's app, Doguet helped guide Shannon and Taelyn to Ziva's location. After spending approximately 16 hours in a flooded gully, and with help from an audible sound feature on the collar, Ziva was found and rescued by Shannon and Taelyn. "The app worked flawlessly in guiding us to her location," Doguet told People. A photo shows flooding caused by a flash flood at the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5, 2025. A photo shows flooding caused by a flash flood at the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5, 2025. Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images Doguet said Ziva was physically unharmed but exhausted. The dog drank water and rested for over 12 hours upon returning home. Across Central Texas, other survival stories have emerged from the devastation. A dog named Superman was found atop debris after being swept away by the floods. Animal organizations, such as Austin Pets Alive!, have taken in hundreds of displaced pets, mobilizing veterinarians, staff, and volunteers to aid in the emergency response. What People Are Saying Erin Doguet told People: "I burst into tears knowing they found her alive! When the collar kept reporting her same location for hours on the river, I feared she was dead." Suzie Chase, a community affairs officer for Austin Pets Alive!, previously told Newsweek: "The Central Texas community has been incredibly generous, dropping off canned pet food, blankets, towels and crates. They have volunteered to help transport animals from Kerr County and help with the search and rescue efforts. We are so grateful!" What Happens Next Austin Pets Alive! announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday that its flood response efforts are ongoing. "You can help us continue to be there for Central Texas pets and their communities through our disaster relief efforts by donating funds or supplies, volunteering, fostering, or adopting," the organization said. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
