just getting started

The past 8 months of my life have been some of the darkest. I wish I could support that by sharing some tragic story that disrupted my life in a way that would warrant such emotional emptiness, but I don’t have a story. After some very deep soul searching, I came to terms with this darkness and realized that I was experiencing nothing more than a loss of meaning and fulfillment in my life. Realizing this was the first step, finding a way to get me out of my funk was the second.

I have a wonderful and supportive family I adore and that loves me very much. I’m surrounded by some of the most caring and dynamic friends a person could ask for. I have a beautiful apartment, a feline companion, a job and a very financially responsible lifestyle. What more could a girl ask for, right? I often found myself at the end of the day wondering what significance my existence had in regards to another’s life and well-being. I wanted to be able to experience what ‘giving and sharing’ was really all about. How could I make that happen without depleting my life savings to aid one of many charitable organizations, or contribute several additional hours weekly of volunteer work in addition to my already filled schedule? These were questions that nipped at me for months.

Anyone that knows me well, knows that the most important thing in my life, that continues to be the one thing that provides me balance and well-being, is my health. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t feel blessed that I have the ability to move my body daily, pain-free. Oddly enough, the more I began to feel blue about my life, the more I felt even better about my health and fitness. Suddenly the answer to my question became obvious - I want the ability to share my good health with someone that desperately needs it, but how can I do that? Ironically it was during this time that a conversation with a co-worker piqued my interest as he was sharing a story with me about the frustrations of a relative enduring multiple kidney transplants that eventually were rejected. Curious and craving more information, I hit the internet that evening and Googled ‘kidney donation’. Two hours of research online and I just knew that I had finally found the answer to my question. I can give my good health to someone who truly needs it by donating my kidney!

On April 9, 2010, I began my journey. After posting queries on Facebook, of all places, I found a contact that could answer my questions on how I could begin this process. Harvey Mysel, Founder & President of the Living Kidney Donors Network, responded to my post and it was then that I truly felt that my life was going to change. Harvey provided me with a wealth of information, contacts and resources to get me going. I have him to thank for bringing this opportunity to my life.

My intent of this blog is to share my experiences of this journey, to help educate others that might want to be a part of a living kidney donation, and to also spread the word of just how important this is to the lives of approximately 80,000+ people waiting for a kidney transplant. I have much to share and hope that you will come follow me.

Until next time... challenge your body daily!