At any given time, there are vast amounts of people who are awaiting an organ transplant so they can live a longer and healthier life.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, a living donor can donate one kidney; a lung; or a portion of the liver, pancreas or intestine. Certainly, blood and blood platelet donations can also be donated by living donors and are desperately needed to help save lives.

Shockingly, the people waiting for these organs can be friends, neighbors and people we bump into every day. In fact, a Stiles resident will soon need a new kidney. Amanda Steitz Williams was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 4. She is now 32 and has had her share of issues from this disease.

When Steitz Williams was a child, she participated in Girl Scouts, softball, soccer and many other activities, even though her sugar levels had to be carefully monitored. Her parents, David and Laraine, never knew when a diabetic attack would occur.

At the age of 22, Steitz Williams began to have severe complications from her diabetes.

In 2010, she needed a new kidney. About 30 of her friends and family members were tested to see if anyone was a match. Thankfully, Steitz Williams’ father was a match - and he donated a kidney to her. She began to feel healthier; however, doctors realized that she was also in need of a new pancreas. During this time, Steitz Williams lost her sight to diabetes. She also suffered from ketoacidosis, a complication from diabetes that causes a buildup of acids in the blood.

In 2016, Steitz Williams was told there was a pancreas donor in the Philadelphia area. She received a pancreas transplant, and her health improved greatly. However, the new kidney and the new pancreas did not complement one another very well, and her kidney became strained.

Steitz Williams will need to be put on a kidney transplant list again. Right now, she is going through frequent lab work and testing before she is placed on the list.

Steitz Williams and her husband, Bryan, live day to day staying positive and hopeful, knowing a transplant is in her future.

Deciding to be a living donor is certainly a big decision and one that should be considered carefully. Choosing to be a donor after death is also a subject to think about and research. Blood donation is needed regularly, and an appointment to donate can be made with the local blood bank.

To learn more about organ donation and next steps, visit organdonor.gov.