As some of you may know, I donated a kidney to my wife Cathleen on October 31, 2023.
Our good friend, Daniella Duke, is in need a a kidney. I am sending out her story as my blog this week in the hope of finding a living donor match:
Hi Friends! It is once again time to talk kidneys. I am forever grateful for the deceased donor kidney transplant I received in 2021, and was so excited for a future of good health. Unfortunately, as a result of multiple infections, the transplant is now failing, and I am once again actively searching for a living kidney donor.
These past five years have been so precious when I think of all the time I was given to be with family, make new friends, and go for walks, hikes and ocean swims. To learn Pilates, volunteer at my local library mending books, and be on a National Kidney Foundation podcast to share my experiences. To watch my children grow up to become amazing, kind, and thoughtful adults, appreciate my home and caring loving husband, and have the freedom to just go out for a cup of coffee or play Mahjong with friends!
I am grateful I did not have to be on dialysis when my first transplant stopped working in 2021, after 21 years of a long and appreciated kidney transplant life. My oldest sister gave me 21 years of life by donating to me one of her kidneys. Since then, she has led a full and healthy life.
I feel like I have been given so much extra life with these two transplants, and wherever this new journey leads me I am hopeful, and excited to continue to experience the simple and wonderful moments of life.
Right now, I am on dialysis. Dialysis is incredibly tough. Harder emotionally and physically than I imagined. It often leaves me feeling sick, weak, and exhausted. It is keeping me alive, but at the same time, I feel disconnected – I am not truly living. I just make it to the next treatment, and hope that the dialysis session goes well without any bad needle sticks, or complications, or infections, or machine errors. Over time, the stress of dialysis wears down all of your organs.
I have been approved for a third transplant. The average wait time on the kidney transplant waitlist in my area is over 5 years. I have been on the waitlist for almost 2 years. My first living donor transplant lasted over 20 years. My second deceased donor transplant only lasted 5 years. Living donor kidneys tend to last longer and work better.
A living kidney donor would give me the best chance for a healthy and active life. Did you know that while we have two kidneys, we only need one kidney to live a healthy life? Thus, the slogan: Share Your Spare!
Deciding to be a living kidney donor is a big decision. Living donors are very special people who understand that being a donor is one human saving the life of another human. It can be an empowering and life-changing experience for one person to have that kind of impact on another person.
Websites like the ones below can answer many questions you might have about being a living kidney donor:
https://www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/becoming-living-donor
https://www.kidneyregistry.com/for-donors/i-want-to-learn-more-about-living-kidney-donation/kidney-donation-facts/
I am asking for your help. Please share my story with friends and family. Or post it on your social media. The more people that read my story, the more chance I have of finding my kidney angel.
And maybe you will be the one who helps me find my living kidney donor. Thank you for reading my story.
If you think you may want to be my donor, or just want to find out more information about being a living donor, call my Transplant Center: Yale Transplant Living Donor Line: 866-925-3897