Twice I’ve tried to give away my kidney. Twice I’ve been rejected. But maybe you could save a life?
(Not a typical leadership post today, but a very important PSA. Please keep reading.)
In 2011, I applied to be a non-directed kidney donor. Non-directed means I didn’t have a recipient I knew that needed a kidney, but it would go anonymously to someone in need.
I learned about non-directed donation through a friend who was a donor a few years earlier.
After a battery of tests, I was deferred from non-directed donation due to a kidney stone they found. I’d never had one before and haven’t had one since, so I took it as a sign that it wasn’t my time to donate. I was told I could potentially donate in the future if I knew someone in need.
A few months ago I saw a post from a former colleague, Shelly, who is in need of a kidney. Last week was a year that she’s been on dialysis, multiple times per week.
So I applied again. I wasn’t a direct match for her due to blood type, but could donate as part of a donor chain.
On Friday I was told that I was rejected again due to some random health stuff that popped up since 2011. (I am 13 years older!) Nothing that impacts my daily health, but makes it too risky for me to donate.
Meanwhile, Shelly still waits for a donor. I’m including a link to her LinkedIn profile HERE.
I told her I’d do what I can to promote donation. And what a perfect time of year to consider this incredible gift.
When I’ve told people over the years that I wanted to be a living kidney donor, I’ve often been met with surprise. Why would I consider that?
My answer has always been the same: once I learned about it, it never occurred to me not to.
Did you know:
- There are 90,000 people in the US in need of a kidney.
- Kidney donations from living donors vs deceased donors provide much better odds for the recipient.
- The wait for a living donor through a matched donation is 90 days; the wait for a deceased donor kidney is 3-10 years.
- The average length of time a living donor kidney lasts in the recipient is 20-40 years; for a deceased donor kidney it’s 10-15 years.
If you’d consider donation:
- A healthy person can live a healthy life with one kidney.
- Living kidney donation is very low risk.
- All medical expenses for the donor are covered by the recipient’s insurance.
- If you donate through a National Kidney Registry facility, you receive lost wage reimbursement, travel reimbursement, and are prioritized if you ever need a kidney.
- If you’re not a direct match for a recipient, you can be part of a donor chain or voucher program.
- You don’t have to know someone who needs a kidney to donate–you can be a non-directed donor.
Please consider a kidney donation. Please consider being tested for Shelly.
I can’t give this incredible gift of life, but maybe you can.
To learn more, check out the NKF link below.
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