For Randy and Tammy Edwards, traveling together has always been about making memories.
"We don't buy each other gifts; we go on adventures," Tammy said.
The Roseville couple has collected matching T-shirts from the places they have visited, including Yellowstone Bear World and Disney, their first matching-shirt trip.
Now, they're hoping for a different kind of match.
Randy has Alport syndrome, a genetic condition that has severely affected his kidneys. He has been on the kidney transplant waiting list for about two years and is now home on medical leave.
"This last year, his kidney was at 14%. That's where I went, 'Oh my gosh, I have to go find him a kidney,' " Tammy said.
According to Donate Life California, nearly 20,000 Californians are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and about 90% of those waiting need a kidney.
For some patients, a living kidney donor can provide another path to transplantation and potentially shorten the wait. That's why Tammy took the search online.
She created a flyer asking people to consider getting screened to see whether they could become a living kidney donor for Randy. She has shared it across social media, hoping it reaches someone willing to help.
"It's very hard, because I am afraid. I don't want my best friend to die," Tammy said.
Randy, who also plays neighborhood Santa during the holidays, said he knows the person who ultimately helps him could be someone the couple has never met.
"You never know what tomorrow brings," he said.
For now, the couple is doing what they can to take care of each other.
Randy takes about 10 medications a day.
"It's keeping him alive," Tammy said.
Their travels are on hold, but the memories they've made remain close.
They even have tattoos marking important parts of their life together. Randy said they both have the date they were married, while Tammy has dolphins representing their trip to Hawaii.
They hope there will be more adventures in the future.
"I am a little more hopeful," Randy said.
"We make a good team," Tammy added.
Tammy said she has been overwhelmed by the support from family, friends and even strangers who have reached out since she began sharing Randy's story.
"The people in my life, it's amazing. I love them all," she said.
Randy is currently on the UC Davis kidney transplant waiting list.
The two also want people to know that donating a kidney does not necessarily require being a direct blood-type match for Randy. Living donors can participate in kidney-paired donation programs, where a donor gives to a compatible recipient and the intended recipient receives a compatible kidney from another donor.
For Tammy, the goal is simple.
"The end goal is to find a kidney. Save Randy," she said
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