I am a living kidney donor. I would like to share my story for others to understand the process of kidney donation and rid people of the stigma and fear that is associated with it.
I called my Aunt Faith frequently to keep in touch. This was January, 2002. She told me that my cousin Steve had discovered he had active polycystic kidney disease, the same disease that killed his father when he was twelve. Steve was eighteen when he was informed he had the disease. The doctor put him on high blood pressure medicine; high blood pressure is a symptom of polycystic kidney disease. His kidney function was good. The disease is inherited and becomes active between the ages of forty and fifty. Steve was fifty when his kidney function started to fail. She asked me not to say anything to Steve for he was still absorbing the news himself. I agreed.
A month or so later Aunt Faith called, asking if I would be tested to see if I had a kidney that would be a match for him. It was automatic for me to agree. She said she would tell the hospital and they would send me a package and instructions for a colon cancer screening, urine specimen, and prescription to have blood drawn from the lab and sent to the hospital. First I needed to get blood drawn for tissue matching and other tests. I was given a return Fed Ex envelope to send the home tests to the hospital. I was quite surprised at the various reactions from friends and family when they found out I planned to be an organ donor. I heard how brave I am but was asked many questions about why I wanted to do this. I knew there were risks but I was not concerned about them as long as I could help my cousin. People also try to talk you out of donating. They are afraid of losing you during surgery or your health being at risk. I understood their fear and concerns, but I tried to console them and explain as best I could that I wanted to help Steve. I knew in my heart that this was something I needed to do. My family really did not talk about it.
The hospital told me that I had one matching antigen but there was someone who was a closer match and she agreed to donate her kidney. I was thrilled for Steve! But when the time approached for the pre-op test for her, it was determined she would not be a good risk due to high blood pressure.
I received a letter on May eleventh that I should proceed as if I was going to be the donor which meant going to the hospital for more tests. I did not mind at all. The gift of life is the greatest gift of all! My aunt suggested that I could stay with her in Pennsylvania. Steve, his wife Donna, and I could leave the morning of the tests from her house. I lived four hours away from the hospital so this was a wonderful solution. Every donor goes through extensive review from blood work to psychiatric testing. The day was smooth and we found out that it looked good to proceed.
The waiting list for surgery is about three months or so and my cousin had to get things in order at work. He worked in the banking industry. He had many deals to close. The hospital called only a week later that they could do it earlier, but Steve had duties at work so we declined.
The second scheduled surgery date was given for July. However, the doctors were concerned with my kidney filtration rate and wanted to make sure nothing would impede the surgery. I made plans to meet Steve and Donna at the hospital, did the tests and afterwards Donna, Steve and I enjoyed a nice day together before I drove back home. After a week of wondering, the hospital called and gave me a clean bill of health.
