This is part six of my Kidney Donor story, you can follow my entire journey here. The week after my kidney donor surgery was one of the best weeks of my life, believe it or not. I had no idea what I was in store for having a major surgery. Bob and I were in uncharted territory with him being my caregiver (and me needing one). What would it be like to have such an impact on someone's life? Who would get my kidney and would I find out? What would he or she be like? I learned immediately after surgery that my kidney went to a delightful young woman named Shmeala. More on her later. My … [Read more...]
My Kidney Story — I Gave One Away! The Surgery (Part Five)
It FINALLY happened. I donated my kidney. Here are the details. The Wait I was finally approved for donation in September, 2017. I was informed that I would be contacted when Mayo's Transplant Program had found matches for both Liz and me. It could happen in a week or take up to a year. I was annoyed and frustrated. The process had already taken eight months, and I knew there were thousands of people needing a kidney. I wanted to get it done ASAP. Also, nobody wants to see a RDN, CDE around the holidays so it was a good time to be away from my business. To be fair, I was told it … [Read more...]
My Kidney Donor Story: Will I Give One Away? (Part Four)
Finally, I have an answer to my kidney donor question, will I give one away? I've been involved in the evaluation process since January and finally got The Decision from Mayo Clinic's transplant committee on September 5. For the back story, here is part one, two and three. Here's what's happened since: I had to go back to the Mayo Clinic to have a kidney biopsy to make sure I didn't have any disease that was causing the small amount of red blood cells in my urine. I was ready to get on with it, and frustrated to hear the next available appointment was another three weeks away. Even … [Read more...]
My Kidney Donor Story: Will I give one away? (Part Three)
This is part three of my journey as I go through the evaluation process toward becoming a Paired Donation Kidney Donor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Here is part one, and two of my journey. I thought I would be writing about "The Decision" by now, but I was wrong. Here is what's been happening since my evaluation in May. Waiting for this decision helps prepare you for surgery like being pregnant for nine months gets you ready for your little bundle of joy...you get plenty of time to digest what was learned from the last visit to the Mayo Clinic. I was sure I would be … [Read more...]
My Kidney Donor Story – Will I give one away? (Part Two)
Here in Part Two of my kidney story, I share my experience going through the evaluation process of being a Living Kidney Donor at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. The purpose of the evaluation is to see if I am healthy enough to donate, be sure I am doing it for the right reasons and that I have all the information needed to make the decision with no regrets. The first steps after completing the online application answering questions about my medical history, were to get blood drawn and wear a blood pressure monitor for 24 hours. As we live five hours from Jacksonville, Mayo sent me … [Read more...]
