A couple months ago, I wanted to give back to my community. I posted in a local group a giveaway for a family session. The only catch was that I didn’t want the session to just go to anyone. I wanted it to go to a family who might not be able to afford it, or a family who is a single parent household, and that parent works 3 jobs just to keep their head above water, or even to a family who had a family member who was very ill. To keep things fair, members of the group had to nominate someone other than themselves, someone they believed would truly appreciate and cherish these photos.

I was unbelievably overwhelmed by the number of people in this community who nominated different people and families, but there was one individual whose name kept coming up over and over again. Tori McDonald-Anger. The number of nominations for her blew me away.

This is what some people had to say:

She’s been battling kidney failure and still looking for a match , having updated photos would brighten her day’

‘I nominate my sister Tori McDonald-Anger! Shes fighting kidney disease.. and on dialysis 3 times a week, only her husband works. They would be very appreciative and thankful for these . Its been a long time somce they’ve had family photos. Having these photos would be amazing’

‘Would love to nominate Tori McDonald-Anger her daughter is her life and her hubby and her have been pushing to stay positive since tori has been battling kidney disease for some time .. I would think a little photo sesh with her two favorite people might add a few needed smiles’

Tori McDonald-Anger is amazing and so strong during her battle with Kidney failure. I nominate her as well.

‘Seconding Tori McDonald-Anger as my nomination, the girl has had quite the challenges and is still here fighting waiting for a kidney donor! Would love this for her and her family’

All of these and many more just to nominate her. The number of individual’s who took time out of their day to write me personally to share her story was so overwhelming. So here I am with these gorgeous photos of the most stunning family, and I want to do what I can to get her story out there. So in case this post is too long to read, the short of it is, Tori is in need of a Kidney Transplant, if you could share her story alone may help her get the miracle that she has been waiting for. For those of you that want to know more about Tori’s story, keep reading.

I reached out to one of Tori’s sisters to help me share her story with you all because as much as Tori wants to find a match, she is the most kind, and humble person I think I have ever met, she wasn’t looking to broadcast her story, she was simply grateful to get to take family photos.

From a young age, Tori had nicknames such as SkeleTOR, and bones because she was so thin. She was very sick off and on, and try as she may, gaining weight was not possible for her. There were never really any answers, so as Tori does, she carried on, eventually learning that she suffered from Kidney Disease, but nothing stopped her. She continued to live life to the fullest, even playing rugby in high school. When Tori was 15, it was discovered that one kidney was barely functioning, while the other wasn’t working at all. Tori had surgery to help alleviate some of the stress this was putting on her body, but this surgery alone with several others she has had since, have only been buying time.

Tori has had to have her one kidney completely removed. Unfortunately her remaining kidney function has dropped from 23% to 13% to a mere 5% in the past 3 years. Tori has to have dialysis 3 times a week, and as a result hasn’t been able to work. She has to travel 40 minutes each way, which is much better than the hour and a half that she was travelling. Over the years Tori’s family and friends have run GoFundMe efforts, walked in Kidney Walks and done what they can to support Tori and others with Kidney Disease. All of Tori’s close friends and family have been tested, and unfortunately no one is a suitable donor. There is an angel in Tori’s life who is on a pairing list as they are unable to donate to Tori directly but in the lucky event that she is able to donate to someone else, who has a match to Tori then they can donate to one another. (If you are a fan of any medical shows like I am, these are often referred to as domino surgeries, which are made up of a very delicate web of donors and recipients, where if one falls out due to illness or any multitude of reasons, the whole thing falls apart). Something that Tori has learned all to well, as she was recently included in such a group, but unfortunately it was yet another one that did not come to fruition.

Tori is strong, brave, kind and oh so sweet. She has taught her daughter well, as I could see so much of Tori in her daughter in the short time I spent with them. Her husband is a wonderful soul, and honestly their whole giant family is just full of giving people. To quote one of those amazing family members, ‘My sister is the strongest woman I know, she is an amazing mother , wife, daughter, sister and friend . Personally I don’t know how she does it everyday with a smile on her face but she does.. and is trying to be as positive as possible. We have hope that one donor will actually be a 100%’.