West Baltimore native Charles Mason III was just 10 years old when he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
“The only way I can describe it is like an out-of-body experience,” said the 33-year-old. He said that one of the warning signs was swollen ankles, which he previously thought were from an injury.
“I had been tested for diabetes and high blood pressure — all of the things that cause kidney disease — but I didn’t have any of them, so it was really like this moment of confusion, and like, ‘what’s going to happen?’”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults live with CKD, which is characterized by a gradual decrease in kidney function over time. Approximately 9 in 10 adults have no idea that they live with the disease, which can result in excess waste and fluid buildup in the body, giving way to ailments such as heart disease and hypertension.
Despite early setbacks — including a steroid reaction resulting in serious weight gain and seizures that led to a brief coma — Mason learned how to take care of himself over time and grew up to become an esteemed artist. A 2019 graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he received an MFA in Studio Art, Mason’s mixed media works — which range from “sculpt-painting,” to drawing, to photography — explore the Black experience through themes including love, police brutality, and trauma. Along with solo shows in Baltimore, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, his work has been included in exhibits everywhere from Harlem’s Studio Museum to our own Baltimore Museum of Art.
He said he monitors his health closely, including cutting the amount of salt and protein he consumes.
“I’ve had about 23 years with my kidneys. I feel lucky and thankful and blessed that I’ve been able to maintain them for so long,” Mason said.
But last year, with the state of his kidneys in steady decline, Mason’s doctors advocated a transplant, urging him to get evaluated to receive a living kidney donation.
The living donor process is preceded by intense examinations — which the artist is completing now — to rule out dire medical conditions such as cancer, after which, a healthy person donates one of their two kidneys. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the wait time for living donations is typically shorter than that of deceased kidney donations, meaning that patients can often hold off on dialysis treatment before they receive one. Living donations also tend to last for up to 20 years, approximately twice as long as most deceased donations do.
“The most grueling part was telling friends and family,” Mason said. “It was a very vulnerable thing for me to decide to even ask for a kidney. It’s such a big deal.”
But with no other option, this past March, he decided to do so. In honor of National Kidney Month, the artist penned a moving open letter on his website to explain his situation.
“This is me being vulnerable with as many people as I can, because I want to live, I want help. and I need a transplant,” Mason wrote. “Even though you may not be able to donate. I am asking that if any and everyone could just spread the word. I can send links and have conversations with whoever would like to know more.”
In no time, not only did people request to learn more, they made offers to be there for Mason.
“When I sent the letter, I had a colleague reach out to me immediately,” he said. “I had mentors do the same. I had friends do the same. I just cried. It freaked me out because you don’t know who’s there, who’s looking out, and who genuinely cares about your well-being in a way where they want to get tested or they want to make a call and actually put forth an effort.”
Mason, who currently struggles with fatigue and anemia as side effects of CKD, expects to see significant improvements in his health after the transplant, which he says could take place very soon.
“The timeline that I understand from doctors and nurses is that it could happen in a couple months,” he said. “Once a match is found, everything happens really quickly.” Right now, he says one potential donor is awaiting test results to see if they are fit to donate, while a few others are in the application process.
Mason’s next step is to set up a GoFundMe page to help with future medical expenses. After surgery, he won’t be cleared to do anything strenuous or drive for at least six weeks.
“I don’t know when I’ll be able to work in the rigorous way that I used to,” Mason said.
“To be honest, it’s scary. But we gotta lean into it. At least, that’s what they say, right? Lean into the unknown because you never know what could happen if you keep striving.”
Though uncertainty scares Mason, he’s prepared to face it head-on with the help of his support system. The biggest thing he’s learned since being diagnosed with CKD is that “we’re not meant to do this life alone.”
“Though uncertainty scares Mason, he’s prepared to face it head-on with the help of his support system. The biggest thing he’s learned since being diagnosed with CKD is that “we’re not meant to do this life alone.”
“It’s OK to ask for help,” Mason said. “It’s OK to be scared, to be overwhelmed, to be sad. It’s OK to go through these things because your community will support you.”
With plans to further advocate for those in need of new kidneys — particularly Black people, who, according to the National Kidney Foundation, are three times as likely as white people to encounter kidney failure — Mason doesn’t ask for much in terms of post-op life.
“I just want to be good,” he said. “I want to do what I need to do. I want to get stronger. I want to be in a space of humbleness. I want to be in a space of love. All I really want is to be good and to know that I’m good.”
Read Mason’s letter here.
Learn more on the National Kidney Foundation‘s website.
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