Be The Match

On April 29, 2015 I officially began the process of donating my kidney to a stranger.  Ive been considering living organ donation for the past 7 years.  In 2008 my father-in-law, David Lever,  was in need of a kidney transplant.  His siblings and children were the first to be tested as they were the most likely to be a match.  I knew immediately that if no biological family members were a good match for David I would happily give my own kidney if given the opportunity.  Turns out, David's brother was an ideal match and the two of them began the process of preparing for a kidney transplant. 

Throughout the last 7 years, I have considered kidney donation off and on.  During that time I gave birth to a little boy (now 5 and a half), changed careers and along with my husband moved from one house to another.  Back in 2008, I did sign up to be a bone marrow donor in honor of David.  I was happy to do it and whenever I switched addresses or jobs I was sure to update my information with Be The Match so that they would be able to find me if they needed me. 

Fast forward to April of 2015.  I received an envelope in the mail from Be The Match.  I was secretly hoping this was correspondence informing me that my bone marrow would finally be needed.  Then I realized that they would probably call or email me rather than sending me something in the mail.  Turns out it was time to renew my commitment.  On the same day, I saw a picture online of a truck.  This particular truck, had a plea in big bold letters asking for a kidney donor for a child.  It had information about blood type and a phone number for anyone interested in helping.  This reignited my interest in living donation.  After hours and hours and days and days of research I contacted a local hospital and began the process of moving forward as an altruistic kidney donor. 

I hope to share my story here to inform others of the process.  If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment.