CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — For six years, a Chula Vista woman has been patiently waiting for a kidney transplant. With Christmas just weeks away, Eren Mosqueda is hoping and praying that she will get a Christmas miracle.
"All I want for Christmas is a new kidney," Mosqueda said through tears.
Born with spina bifida, Mosqueda beat the odds and learned to walk, became a mother of three, and is now approaching her 50th birthday.
However, after years on the transplant list, she's now "hanging on by a thread."
Back in 2022, ABC 10News first met Mosqueda when she decided to ask for the public's help in finding her a matching kidney donor.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to make it," Mosqueda told ABC 10News in 2022.
Two years later, philanthropist Marc Paskin, with the Marc Paskin Foundation, tracked Mosqueda down after seeing ABC 10News report. He pledged to support Mosqueda's and help finance her transplant journey.
Then, in August of 2025, Mosqueda received more good news: that she made the Mayo Clinic's waitlist for a kidney transplant in Arizona.
"I finally got listed. They told me to pack, so now I'm just waiting for the call," Mosqueda said at the time. She remains on Sharp Healthcare's list as well.
Yet, there has been no call from either hospital.
"Did you think it would still take this long?" ABC 10News asked.
"No, I didn't think it would take this long, " Mosqueda said. "You want to get some kind of treatment or some kind of better quality of life sooner rather than later, but that's not the reality of it. You have to wait. It's just you get listed, and it's just silence."
Sharp Healthcare told ABC 10News the average wait time for a kidney transplant can be up to nine years; the Mayo Clinic in Arizona estimates an average wait of about five years. The National Kidney Foundation states it takes about 2-5 years.
Mosqueda is blood type O and hoping to find a matching donor or even a living donor.
She said she is also hoping for a paired kidney exchange, known as the swap program, in which a donor who is incompatible with one recipient swaps with a donor of another recipient so both patients receive compatible kidneys.
"They need to find a donor that matches with me or even if it doesn't match if somebody that's willing to do a swap," Mosqueda said.
Paskin said he and his foundation are committed to doing whatever they can to help.
"There would be nothing that make me happier than seeing her get a new kidney for Christmas," Paskin said. "We're not giving up. Eren's not giving up. I'm not giving up."
Paskin added the foundation will support any effort that could save Mosqueda's life.
"Money cannot get in the way of getting her that kidney, and we hope Eren gets a kidney for Christmas," Paskin said.
Until a donor is found, Paskin said he remains by Mosqueda's side to make sure she does not feel alone.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a donor, information is available through Sharp Healthcare in Kearny Mesa and the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
To register as a potential donor for Sharp, click here.
To register as a potential donor for Mayo Clinic, click here.
Eren said a matching donor will need to list her name and date of birth. For that information and to reach Eren with a matching donor opportunity, email danielle.miskell@10news.com.
