BANGOR, Maine — Dustin Saucier is looking for a life-saving kidney donation. The 34-year-old Maine musician using his music to find a donor who is an O+ match.
Since he can remember, Saucier has always had a passion for singing and playing music. He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was 15 years old. "I've been playing music since I was a kid," he says.
Now, Saucier is using his talents to help raise awareness about kidney disease and hopefully find a donor.
"Ever since COVID hit, my kidney disease has gotten worse, I've been really focusing on playing music, not only for mental health but to spread awareness about kidney disease," says Saucier.
According to the Kidney National Foundation, there are more than 1,000 people on dialysis in Maine.
"Kidney transplants are really needed right now. There is a lot of people out there who could use a donor," he says.
Saucier has suffered from type-1 diabetes since he was 11 years old. However, his health really started failing this past year.
To keep his spirits high, Saucier plays music virtually through Facebook. He performs live on Facebook at least once a week and shares that he needs a kidney donation.
"I knew my kidneys were failing, but it was more of a way for me to keep in touch with friends, family, and to provide myself a sense of emotional stability and mental health support," says Saucier.
Saucier currently receives dialysis three times a week at Davita Kidney Care in Bangor. "Kidney disease comes on quietly. It's a very silent disease. Without blood testing, you don't really know you have it until it's kind of too late. I hit stage four back in July."
Dustin says his donor must also have O+ blood.
"I'm currently in what's called end-stage renal disease, which means that I am at the endpoint of kidney disease," he tells NEWS CENTER Maine.
Click here to follow Saucier's Facebook page to listen more of his music.
If you think you might qualify to help Dustin or someone else in need of a kidney, the first step is to fill out this donor form for Maine Medical Center.
"The biggest thing I am hoping for at this point is to just get people to sign up, the worst that could happen is that it'll tell you that you are not eligible to be a donor. The positive that could come out of this is that you could help save someone's life," says Saucier.