About five years ago, Crystal Lake psychologist Linda Bedsole started feeling extreme exhaustion that made it difficult to keep up with her work. She went to the doctor, who diagnosed her with kidney disease.

“I had no idea I had kidney disease,” she said. “Never in a million years did I think that I could die from this.”

Soon after, Bedsole had to close her Crystal Lake-based practice, called Creative Psychology, which she ran for 20 years. Now in stage 5 kidney failure, Bedsole’s kidney function is at 12%. Bedsole’s transplant team at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Chicago told her that a transplant needs to happen as soon as possible.

Her doctors said a living donor is the only possible option.

Bedsole has now been searching for a viable kidney donation for over three years. Throughout her search, she has found 11 people who were willing to donate. Some were family members, others total strangers. Ultimately, none met the intense criteria, because a donor has to be completely healthy in every aspect to have a successful transplant.

Some people found underlying conditions that they wouldn’t have otherwise discovered without the months of testing that the process requires.

“I’m sad that no one was able to donate for my sake, but then I’m glad for their sakes,” she said. “You would never get a more thorough evaluation.”

Bedsole’s sister, Diana White, applied, but she was denied and diagnosed with kidney disease herself.

A self-described private person, Bedsole said it was difficult to ask for help and put herself online to start marketing for a kidney. With the help of loved ones and her transplant team, she went out of her comfort zone and made a Facebook page to document her journey.

The grassroots awareness campaign continues to spread with the help of family, friends and neighbors who make T-shirts and car decals.

“I have a lot of angels in my life,” Bedsole said.

White, who lives in Maryland, also helped spread the message throughout the country by reaching out to over 90 organizations, including churches and news outlets.

“This has been a horrifying roller coaster for Linda,” White said.

Bedsole, 77, now lives in St. Charles to be closer to one of her two sons. She is most proud of her life’s work as a psychologist treating adults and children with severe trauma. She started college when her sons were in high school and continued her education for 11 years to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Bedsole hopes to go back to work if she’s able to get a kidney transplant. The surgery could give her another 10 to 15 years of life, she said.

“I want to help people,” she said.

If she finds her miracle kidney, Bedsole said she would like to be awake during the surgery.

“What an experience,” she said. “You don’t want to be asleep for that.”

Bedsole continues through her days with extreme exhaustion due to her kidneys no longer signaling her bone marrow to make more red blood cells, causing anemia. Despite the severe lethargy, Bedsole still takes care of her husband, who is 19 years older than her and living with his own health problems.

Living with kidney failure, Bedsole tries to find the difficult balance between working hard to find a donor while accepting death. She calls it “radical acceptance” while still pushing for a future. The most important part is keeping supportive loved ones nearby.

“I’m really blessed, and I do focus on the things I’m grateful for,” she said.

Most recently, Bedsole got a glimmer of good news after her annual mammogram earlier this month came back all clear, allowing her to move forward with her kidney search.

People interested in seeing if they qualify for a kidney donation can complete a confidential questionnaire by Northwestern Medicine at nmlivingdonor.org.

More information and updates on Bedsole’s journey can be found on her Facebook page titled "Linda Needs a Kidney."