Stacy Hobson was living life on her own terms. After leaving the classroom for a career in real estate, she became a managing broker, built a successful business and enjoyed the rewards that came with it — traveling the world, spending time with friends and embracing a full social life.
But as Hobson was living what she describes as the life she had worked hard to create, her body was sending warning signs. Chronic foot pain was attributed to plantar fasciitis. Swollen feet were linked to elevated blood pressure, a family trait she believed would improve with weight loss. Shortness of breath was viewed as another sign she needed to shed a few pounds. Even bubbles in her urine were dismissed as leftover cleanser in the toilet. Her doctors addressed the symptoms, but the underlying condition continued to go undetected.
“They wanted me to just go into the hospital and get some fluids,” Hobson said. “I literally almost didn’t make it.”
Diagnosed first with chronic myeloid leukemia, Hobson said she quickly learned how abruptly illness can upend a life. “Cancer reshapes everything,” she said. “I had to work on myself physically, mentally and spiritually. That included realigning my life with God and being at peace with whatever His will was for me.”
Even as she managed cancer treatment, another condition steadily progressed. “The doctor told me I was fine. I felt fine,” Hobson said. “I had little signs — I was out of breath going up the steps, I had muscle cramps. I thought I just needed to lose some weight.”
In 2021, Hobson learned she had been living with advanced kidney failure. “I had Stage 5 renal failure,” she said. “My kidneys were barely functioning by the time I really understood how bad things were.”
At one point, her kidney function dropped to seven percent. Still, she continued to work. “My first job was real estate,” Hobson said. “My second job was researching — learning how to take charge of my health.” That research included refusing to begin dialysis. “My doctors, family and friends didn’t understand,” she said. “But I just wasn’t going on dialysis.”
Her research also included seeking second opinions and incorporating holistic approaches alongside traditional medicine. “I learned not to just take one doctor’s word for it,” she said. “You have to research, get second opinions and really understand your numbers.”
Hobson shared her story publicly Saturday, Jan. 18, when she marked her 49th birthday by hosting a book-signing event that included the launch of her memoir, “Yield, Heal & Thrive! A Woman’s Transparent Journey of Surrendering, Healing and Flourishing After Transplant,” and a fireside conversation about faith, health and survival. The event brought together family, close friends and key figures in her journey, including Dr. Vasanthi Balaraman, medical director of living donor kidney transplant at Methodist Institute, and Jennifer Joyner, the woman who donated a kidney to Hobson.
The memoir traces Hobson’s journey through two life-threatening diagnoses — chronic myeloid leukemia and end-stage kidney disease — and her path toward healing through faith, self-advocacy and community support. “Through it all, I was very functional,” Hobson said. “But I had to make myself yield to God’s will before healing could begin. Now it is about purpose. I know my purpose is to teach. I have always been a teacher. I know it is to educate others about taking charge of their health.”
During the fireside conversation, Hobson also addressed racial disparities in kidney care, noting that Black Americans are disproportionately affected by kidney disease and often experience delayed diagnosis and access to transplants. “When I learned how the system works, including the racial disparities when it comes to transplants, it changed everything for me,” she said.
Balaraman discussed a genetic variant more commonly found among Black Americans that is associated with an increased risk of kidney disease. She said this genetic predisposition is one of several factors contributing to the disproportionate number of Black patients diagnosed with kidney failure, including a growing number of young adults. “We are seeing patients as early as their twenties being diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease,” Balaraman said.
“Because early symptoms are often mild, nonspecific or overlooked, the disease frequently goes undetected until it has progressed to advanced, life-threatening stages,” she added.
In August 2025, Hobson received a kidney transplant from Joyner, an altruistic donor from Hernando, Mississippi whom she had never met.
Joyner said she learned about organ donation through a transplant registry she saw on Facebook. “It was definitely a God thing,” Joyner said. “I don’t think I would have made this decision on my own.”
After seeing the information, Joyner attended church that evening. “The pastor’s sermon was about prayer,” she said. “If you sincerely pray on it, do you think God is going to let you make a mistake?”
A wife and mother of young children, including one with Down syndrome, Joyner said the decision became real once she learned she was a match. “I checked life insurance. I prepared,” she said. “But it never got to a point where I was going to change my mind. I was in.”
Joyner returned to work four weeks after surgery and said she has had no complications. “I feel amazing,” she said.
“Stacy is a superwoman. I had my kidney for 45 years, and she has done more with it in a few months than I did in all that time.”
For Hobson, the transplant marked a turning point and a call to action.
“When I realized the sacrifice Jennifer made for someone she didn’t know, I knew I had to bless others the way she blessed me,” she said. “Survival comes with an obligation — to educate, to support and to help someone else.”
That obligation is taking shape in the form of a nonprofit Hobson plans to formally launch in March, which is also Kidney Awareness Month. The organization, also called Yield, Heal & Thrive, will focus on supporting kidney transplant patients and donors by addressing needs often overlooked during the transplant process, including hardship resources, essential supplies and education.
“Too many patients are treated like numbers,” Hobson said. “You’ve got to take responsibility for your own health. Look at your numbers year to year. If you see changes, research it and ask questions.”
As the event concluded, Hobson said she hopes her story will encourage others to listen to their bodies and advocate for themselves.
“Healing isn’t just physical,” she said. “It’s mental, spiritual and physical. I pray that no one else has to go through what I went through.”
More information about Hobson’s book and organization is available at HOME | Stacy Hobson – Kidney Warrior & Author.
