For a Bahamian family building a life in Jacksonville, Florida, what began as a routine health scare has spiraled into a crisis that threatens their home, their stability and their future. Terrel Carey, a 37-year-old father of five and former photojournalist, now faces an overwhelming combination of end-stage kidney disease, advanced diabetes and permanent severe vision loss—conditions that have robbed him of his ability to work and pushed his family to seek public support to avoid losing their home.
Before his health declined, Carey worked as a professional photographer and videographer, creating visual content and covering events to support his growing household. For years, he and his wife Waydelle were both working breadwinners, able to cover their expenses and care for their five children: a 15-year-old from Carey’s previous relationship, an 8-year-old son, a 5-year-old daughter, and 2-year-old twin girls. That two-income stability collapsed as Carey’s health worsened, leaving the family dependent on a single income at the worst possible moment.
Carey’s health crisis first emerged in summer 2024, when persistent severe headaches sent him to the hospital. Doctors quickly diagnosed uncontrolled hypertension and clear signs of progressive kidney failure, admitting him for several days after abnormal test results raised urgent red flags. A follow-up biopsy confirmed end-stage kidney disease, with clinicians projecting his kidneys would fail completely by December 2024. The situation escalated to a life-threatening emergency when excess fluid built up in Carey’s body, leaving him constantly exhausted, short of breath, and with persistent chest pressure.
The devastating diagnosis came at a moment Carey never could have predicted: he was on assignment photographing a wedding in Tallahassee when his primary care provider called with his lab results, urging him to seek emergency care immediately. “The doctor told me I was at risk of dying if I didn’t get to a hospital right away,” Carey recalled.
After returning to Jacksonville, Carey began urgent dialysis treatment via a catheter placed near his neck, before undergoing surgery to create a vascular fistula in his left arm for ongoing hemodialysis. He later transitioned to peritoneal dialysis, which allows him to complete treatment sessions at home rather than at a clinical facility. Unlike in-center hemodialysis, which left Carey completely drained after every session, struggling with slurred speech and difficulty walking, home-based treatment is far less physically taxing. “When you finish in-center treatment, you feel completely wiped out,” he explained. “All I could manage after getting home was eat something small, then go straight to sleep.”
For Carey, the cruelest blow of his illness has not been the repeated dialysis sessions or the constant physical discomfort—it is the permanent vision loss that has stripped him of his independence and his ability to earn a living. Today, his right eye is completely blind, while his left eye only allows him to distinguish basic light and shadow. He compares his remaining vision to trying to see through a sheet of wet wax paper. He initially tried to document his health journey online, posting videos of his dialysis sessions, medical appointments and transplant evaluations to generate much-needed income, but further deterioration of his left eye’s vision forced him to abandon the project.
As medical bills pile up and a broken rent repayment plan has put the family at imminent risk of eviction, the Careys have launched a public GoFundMe campaign to cover gaps in their insurance coverage and basic household costs. A previous rent repayment plan requiring monthly payments of over $2,000 fell through recently, leaving the family facing possible displacement from their rented home. Out-of-pocket costs for care not covered by insurance add up quickly: appointments with low-vision specialists alone cost between $200 and $300 per visit, and Carey needs ongoing care to learn to navigate with a white cane and adjust to life with severe vision impairment.
Asking for public help has not been easy for Carey, who spent his entire adult life providing for his family independently. While relatives have stepped up to offer what support they can, many have limited resources of their own, and assistance from friends has been inconsistent. The strain has touched every member of the extended family, and Waydelle Carey said the family has put aside pride to ask for help. “Pride aside, we need help,” she shared in a public Facebook post. “I’m putting myself out here in this vulnerable position just to ask for some support, some help to get us through this.”
Even amid nightly dialysis treatments and declining health, Carey still stays active in caring for his young twin daughters, and his children have become a critical source of emotional support. During family outings, his 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter often step in to guide him, holding his hand when he needs help turning or navigating new spaces. “They remind me that they love me, that I’m a good dad,” Carey said. “That encouragement is what keeps me going some days.”
Still, the emotional weight of losing his independence, his livelihood and his vision has taken a severe toll. Carey has struggled with depression and even suicidal thoughts, recalling many mornings where he would cry before dialysis, overwhelmed by the physical and emotional burden of his condition. “It gets heavy sometimes,” he acknowledged. Therapy has helped him manage his depression, and transitioning to home dialysis has reduced some of his daily stress, but he says the emotional impact of chronic kidney disease is often long-lasting.
“A lot of people think depression only hits right after you get the diagnosis,” he explained. “But this is a life change. The first period is the hardest, but many people live with this depression for years, even decades, while dealing with kidney disease. Treatment keeps you alive, but it doesn’t fix the disease.”
Carey is currently undergoing evaluation for a combined kidney and pancreas transplant, a procedure that could address both his end-stage kidney disease and his diabetes. He holds out cautious hope that the transplant could also improve the remaining vision in his left eye, even as he acknowledges that his blindness may be permanent. “At the end of the day, I just want to be able to live a long life and still enjoy time with my kids,” he said. “I know my vision might not come back, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to hope that it can.”