I’m always looking for topic to make a list from them. I heard on the radio that it was national transplant day. I thought I’d provide some links that gives more information about transplants. I’m the recipient of a kidney. Several years ago, my life was changed by the generosity of someone else. A man who had put on his driver’ s license “donor” and as a result, when he lost his life. I got one of his kidneys.
But before I go down the path of my personal experience, I’d like to give you some links for additional reading and then I’ll provide my personal feelings at the end of this entry.
Fun facts about organ donation:
http://organdonor.gov/whydonate/facts.html
http://health.discovery.com/convergence/giftoflife/facts/facts.html
http://organdonor.gov/index.html
The process of organ donation:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/161751-what-is-the-process-of-organ-donation/
http://donatelife.net/understanding-donation/organ-donation/
http://organdonor.gov/about/organdonationprocess.html
Transplants for kids:
http://transplantsforchildren.org/tourforchildren/Transplants_for_Children/Transplants_for_Children.html
http://www.massgeneral.org/children/services/treatmentprograms.aspx?id=1630
http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/boggscenter/products/documents/TransplantPampletFINAL6-11.pdf
Now for a personal note:
I started down the path of kidney failure about a decade ago. I was put on dialysis for 18 months and I fared better than many. Many people with kidney failure, feel cruddy. I felt okay and only found out about my condition through a doctor. My condition was monitored for several years until my numbers dropped to the level that required me to go on dialysis. Compared to many people. I’m not much of a TV watcher, so I found sitting in a dialysis room for several hours, three times a week, to be quite boring. Even though the nurses told me not to jerk when they would put the needles into my arms, I had a hard time complying.
Because the kidneys are not working, patients are encouraged to not drink. There are several foods that patients are prohibited from having. Two of my favorite foods are tomatoes and milk. They had a lot of potassium.
Do you remember those CD holders that can hold 100 CDs in one container? Since I couldn’t drink much water, I started the habit of eating ice during dialysis. My reasoning was that since they drain out excess liquid from my body while cleaning my blood. I could eat ice. Sometimes if too much liquid was taken away from my body during a session. My legs would go into terrible Charley horses. I have a low threshold for pain and even though the aides would press against my feet to try to help combat the Charley horses, it wasn’t enough. So I would stand up next to my bed trying to take care of them and end up passing out.
I would regain consciousness with several people surrounding me with concerned expressions on their faces.
I was on dialysis for 18 months before I had the opportunity to get a kidney. I almost didn’t get it. There are usually three people that are given the option to have a kidney because they are the closest match for that specific kidney. If the first person on the list doesn’t respond, then as I understand it, the kidney goes to the next person.
The call came to my home on Sunday, but I wasn’t home. Two friends and I had gone to the LDS conference center to attend regional conference. Even though I had my cell phone with me, it was turned off. After the conference meeting my friends and I had a nice leisurely lunch. I finally got home in the afternoon, only to find out the several hours were spent trying to contact me. My roommate told them she know how to contact me, and so she couldn’t help. Once I knew about the kidney, my sister and I rushed up to the hospital in Salt Lake.
It was so exciting to think that I was getting a kidney. I looked forward to not having to take dialysis. God bless the family of the man who put down the name donor.
In the hospital, I decide to give my new body part a name. I call my kidney, Henry. I told the nurses and they were quite amused by this. Apparently they told another patient and so they named their kidney, Henry II. It is my private hope that the tradition has continued clear up to Henry VIII.
The major humor of this event was of friends putting up a big sign welcome home, Henry in the front of my house. I’m single. Think of all the people in my my neighborhood, seeing that sign. Some of them may have wondered if I was getting married. It’s a great sign. I still have it.
I invite all readers to this blog to please put donor on your driver’ s license. It’s amazing the number of lives that one person can influence not just during our lives, but also perhaps in our death.
