Surgery on April 1 for James Madison's Evans

Surgery is just a bit more than 24 hours away for Dawn Evans.

The James Madison graduate will receive her cousin Erika's kidney on April 1. The 3 1/2-hour operation, Dawn explains in this six-minute video, will begin at 7 a.m. Central Time at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"It's so real to me," Evans says in the video. "I'm excited, blessed about the whole circumstance."

She is also grateful that Erika is a good match. (You can read our story on Erika Evans here.)  If the operation is a success, Dawn will be able to dump the bag of 47 medications she takes every day for just five. When she heals, Dawn is planning to return to France to play basketball.

The video is her way of thanking all her supporters. "From the bottom, bottom of my heart, I thank  you," she says.

Dawn is suffering from focal segmental glomerular sclerosis.

We'll keep you posted on news.

You've got this, Dawn and Erika.