Taylor (second from right) with members of her Walk team

My name is Taylor Karlo, I’m 17 years old and I’m a senior at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio. I am also a volleyball player and I’m committed to the University of Saint Francis to continue my volleyball career. I live with my mom, Heather, my dad, Andy, my brother Brenden, and my adorable dog Joey. We moved to Ohio when I was five and we are originally from Livonia, Mich., so we are Michigan fans at heart.

PKD is relevant to our family because I unfortunately have it. My PKD story is sort of unique because I am the only one in my family who has it. This is uncommon because this disease is passed down genetically 90% of the time, and I’m part of the 10% where PKD develops as  a genetic mutation in your body.

Team T at the 2018 Central Ohio Walk for PKD

As soon as I heard about the Central Ohio Walk for PKD, I knew I wanted to join and try to get as many people possible to come. I had an amazing time at the Walk and couldn’t thank my friends and family enough for supporting me. “Team T” was so big and well known that all the volunteers knew who we were, which was awesome to think that we made an impact.

Taylor at one of her volleyball games

Without all the support from my friends, family, teammates, and coaches, there would be no way I could have raised the amount of money that I did. We first set our goal to $2,000 and somehow passed it within two days, so we bumped it up to $5,000 and we passed that, too! Everyone I know was so generous to help me support this cause by donating money, and we even had a PKD volleyball game fundraiser at my school. By the time the Walk came around, we were just shy of $10,000. Next year I hope more people can come join us as we walk to find a cure for PKD.

Do you want to help make an impact like Taylor and her team? When you help us reach our $2 million goal by Dec. 31, 100% of your donation goes on to fund PKD research! Donate today.