Imagine being a college student, excited to celebrate Labor Day, but instead of pool parties and cocktails, you’re hit with a 104-degree fever and full-body aches.
This marked the start of Danielle Fiorito’s health nightmare in 2018, when the North Carolina-based CrossFitter was a junior at Wingate University.
Fiorito had been dealing with symptoms for weeks, with no doctor giving an exact cause; some suggested mono, others the flu or a UTI, but on that September day, she received a frightening diagnosis.
- “We don’t know why you’re having fevers, but you’re about to need a blood transfusion and a kidney transplant. Your kidneys are failing,” Fiorito recounted the message she received from her doctor in an interview with the Morning Chalk Up.
Fiorito had recently undergone blood work, but her kidneys were functioning normally at the time. Now, they were only functioning at 30%, seemingly overnight.
Doctors began to look for a cause.
- “I was there for three weeks and had every test and scan under the sun,” she said. “I had a kidney biopsy, bone marrow biopsy, colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, you name it. The first day I was there, they drew like 50 vials of blood to do every blood test that they could think of.”
They could find no explanation for Fiorito’s kidney issues, and the doctors ultimately diagnosed it as interstitial nephritis, a condition marked by swelling in the spaces between the kidney tubules. This swelling can impair the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from the blood.
Looking for a cause, all doctors found was that Fiorito had kidney scars, almost like small paper cuts, which indicated she would never regain function. Beyond that, no doctor could determine a cause for the sudden shutdown.
Fiorito was prescribed medication to slow the progression, but she was also advised that her lifestyle would impact the progression of her illness.
Fighting for a Future
In 2021, Fiorito found CrossFit.
She played soccer in college, and like many former college athletes, she was seeking a way to channel her competitive spirit. Fiorito is a coach herself, working with high school and college competitive athletes.
- She explained what attracted her to CrossFit: “It was the same camaraderie that college soccer had, without all the other things that I hated about college soccer.”
For a while, her fitness routine and overall health kept major problems at bay. She maintained regular monthly check-ins and blood tests to monitor her kidney function.
Then, in July 2024, things took a turn for the worse. She received a call informing her that her kidney function had dropped to 10%.
- “I went into the hospital and the doctor told me, all you can do at this point right now is start dialysis and get on the transplant list,” Fiorito recounted.
Fiorito is 27 years old.
- “I got an access point for dialysis, and I started going to a center to learn how to do dialysis at my house. Now I sit in a chair every morning at home for four hours for dialysis. My boyfriend helps me set up, and then I sit there, clean up, and I go to work (she’s the speed and strength director at Ultimate Athlete in Huntersville, NC), and then I work out.”
Fiorito trains at CrossFit Charlotte. The camaraderie and community mean everything to her, and everyone knows her story.
- “They all make sure that I’m okay when they see me. They ask where I’ve been, how I’m doing, and if I need anything. It’s great to have that environment because I feel like, just sitting in a chair for four hours by yourself every day, you feel really alone.”
Even through all of this, Fiorito still trains. She laughed, “I don’t know how I do it.”
Her fitness has been a big help; she was lucky to be in good shape before her kidneys became severely damaged.
There are five stages of kidney disease, and Fiorito has been CrossFitting since she was in stage three. She believes that the fitness she built early on has allowed her to fight this disease as effectively as she has.
Training is just as crucial for her mental and emotional health as it is for her physical health.
- “Sometimes you forget that people still care about you, want you to get better, and are helping you. You kind of feel helpless, but going to CrossFit Charlotte makes me feel like I’m not alone, at least for those two hours.”
Where Things Stand Now
Early this summer, on May 5, Fiorito’s name was added to the transplant list.
In some cases, it can take nearly five years to find a match, and the search typically begins with immediate family members. Fiorito’s mom was not a match, and she is waiting to hear back about her sister.
Fiorito explained that the National Kidney Registry offers a more effective way to find a match, which is why non-family donors are so crucial.
- “You’re more likely to get a kidney from a random person, because there are more random people in the world, and I only have one sister and one mom.”
Kidney donation, like any organ donation, is a lengthy process both physically and mentally, but the reward is priceless — the joy of saving a life like Fiorito’s.
Fiorito has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for her medical expenses, and she has currently raised over $30,000; however, the medical bills continue to grow.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a kidney donor, click here to access information, initiate the process, and determine if you’re a match for Fiorito.
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Featured Image: Danielle Fiorito
