Kidney Transplant...What Can I Do To Help?

                                                   

When I found out (without warning) that I was at  

Stage 5 Kidney Failure in Jan. 2013 (even though I

was feeling fine but tired) I went from a person

who loved doing a lot of things, to a person

living in a recliner. I had an online business

that I loved, had many hobbies such as making

jams, woodworking, Family History, serving

at church and just loving my life in general. 

So going from doing a lot, to doing nothing 

was quite a shock.

I have found (especially as I have gotten older) 

if I ask the Lord what he wants me to learn 

from this, instead of "why me," it helps me a lot 

more to get though the trial faster and I 

always learn a lot.

Going through a kidney transplant and having 

to take 31 pills a day has been the hardest 

thing I ever have had to do, but I would do 

it again in a heartbeat because of all I have

learned from it and the people I have met 

and even helped  (they tell me). 

My kidney doctor has asked me to be an 

ambassador for kidney donation and go and

talk to groups of people because of the 

passion I have for people to be educated 

(thus lessening any fear they might have 

for donating) and people who might be in 

need of a kidney transplant.

For example most people have no idea

we need just one kidney to live a perfectly 

normal  life, or that there are over 124,000

Men, Women, and Children waiting on

a National Organ Donor List to see if they

will receive an organ. 

I  was so blessed to have 7 living donors 

come forward and wanted to donate one 

of their kidneys to me. I sent out an email

to family members and talked about it at

church, and 7 people (including a friend 

of my daughters and a church friend of 

mine) wanted to give a kidney to me. 

What a truly humbling experience.

With a living donor, it speeds the process

up so much faster and the timing improves

along with it to help you get one sooner.

The average waiting time on the National 

Donor List is 7-8 yrs and a lot of these

people die before ever getting an organ

because there are just not enough of them...

either by families donating them, deceased

persons leaving organs to be donated, or

because they don't have a living donor.

So, you might be asking what can I do to 

help? There are a number of things you 

can do to help. (See Below)

1) Help you and your family get educated

about organ donation. 

2) Sign up at the DMV or put on the back 

of your Drivers License that you wish to 

donate  your organs if you are in a fatal

car accident. 

3) Make a donation of cash to the National

Kidney Foundation or the Univ. of Utah

Donate Life Foundation. 

4) Look into donating a kidney to someone 

on the Waiting List and saving a persons life!

There is no better feeling on the earth than

that of saving another persons life! 

Have a great day! If you have your organs

you should already be having a great day,

and know what a blessing that is in your

life. Please do not take them for granted. 

They keep you living the life you want.

For information about the Kidney Donation

Program in Utah (they are the fastest in my 

opinion)

Go to this LINK: 

http://healthcare.utah.edu/transplant/living-donor/

If  I can be of any help to anyone about this 

subject, Please let me know. Leave your email 

address in the comment section of this post. 

I will get back to you asap.

Thanks