My mentor

Hi kids. You can read my new post over on 'Pay it Forward', with the Times Union bloggers, here. 

I have chatted about my living kidney donor mentor, Cara Yesawich, in the past here, and felt it was important to include her in my conversation about my donation journey on the Times Union's site. She was a very special presence in my life then, and is still now.

Cara Yesawich, my living kidney donor mentor.

I encourage all prospective donors to reach out to another donor as they embrace their experience. I know I couldn't have done this without her, and I truly believe it can enhance your journey in more ways than one.

Feel free to contact me if you should want to find more resources in the community. Having a buddy to hold your hand as you walk through this process can make all the difference in the world.

etsy kidney find

PKD Awareness Double Kidney Pendant Necklace 

Love this.

Had to share this piece with everyone. If you're not familiar with etsy, you need to be. I could spend hours on here. I could also spend thousands of dollars on here. Love this site for unique gifts - for me.

What's even nicer about this piece is that the artist will donate $25 to the PKD Foundation for every necklace sold. I'm gonna get me one.

pay it forward: intrigue and information

Please stop over and see my most recent post at timesunion.com.

I'm sharing my journey with readers on the 'Pay it Forward' blog, where you can also read about some great people doing some great things. Mary Kenney has been generous enough to let me share some of the real estate there, and I'm excited about this opportunity.

Thanks, Mary!

pay it forward

I'm pleased as punch to announce my presence on the timesunion.com's 'Pay it Forward' blog!

I have been an avid reader/viewer/snooper of the Times Union's (TU) blogs for many years now and never really thought that someday I would be a contributor.  This past summer, I was contacted by the TU to contribute to their many bloggers online. I was up to my elbows in martinis alligators, and knew I didn't have time to dedicate to more work. Times have changed, and when they contacted me again in early 2012, I decided this was something that I not only wanted to do, but needed to do.

I will be joining Mary Kenney, on 'Pay it Forward', where I will share my story about my donation, along with some other sarcastic commentary I feel I need to vent weekly to those that are bored enough to visit. Mary and I share the same philosophy, the same cravings for margaritas, and a helluva head of hair. She's the total package and I'm blessed to have made this connection with someone so special. Plus, she's smart. I love smart people.

So, give us a try and tune in often to see what kind of goodness and genuine concern we can bring to the table.

My introductory post is up today, stop in and see me! 

harvey mysel needs a kidney

In April of 2009, I was only in the beginning stages of researching kidney donation. I was having a tough time finding specific information I wanted, and needed, to know. As I mentioned in my first post on this blog, I found a man by the name of Harvey Mysel, on Facebook.

Harvey Mysel

Harvey was the one that I credit for providing me with the much needed information on how to donate a kidney. I am forever grateful for his time and patience. He is a kind soul, and is passionate about his foundation: The Living Kidney Donors Network.

Harvey needs a kidney. I can't do his story justice, but what I can do is help to advocate for him to find a kidney. Please take a moment to read his story, and understand how you can help Harvey find a donor....

Harvey Mysel – Kidney Transplant Update March 1, 2012

The transplanted kidney I received in 2007 has been damaged as a result of the BK Virus I contracted. While the BK Virus is rare and terribly unfortunate, recent studies show that patients who have had the BK Virus do well when re-transplanted. To read more about the BK Virus go to: www.lkdn.org/Kidney_Graft_Loss_BK_Virus.pdf

I would be honored if you would serve as an advocate to let others know about my need. To do that you’ll need to know a few key things about being a kidney donor:

We are born with an extra kidney. Studies show that kidney donors live a normal, healthy life with only one kidney and were no more likely to suffer kidney failure. Go to: www.lkdn.org/Long_Term_Effect_Kidney_Donors_Health.pdf to read a study from the “New England Journal of Medicine” about kidney donors’ health after their transplant. (An interesting fact to realize is 1 in every 750 people are born with one kidney and their life expectancy is the same as someone who is born with 2 kidneys.)

As a result of the new anti-rejection drugs, the “matching” of donor/recipient has become much easier. For situations where the donor/recipient are not compatible, “kidney paired exchange” programs allow these donors to be paired and matched with other incompatible pairs. To learn more about the matching process go to: www.lkdn.org/LKDN_Matching.pdf For more information about kidney paired exchanges go to: www.lkdn.org/LKDN_Paired_Exchanges.pdf

I’m blood type A, and can receive a kidney from a blood type O or A. Interestingly 85% of the population is one of these 2 blood types. The (+) and the (-) after the blood type is not a factor for kidney transplants. If a donor has an incompatible blood type, a kidney paired exchange program becomes an option.

Organ donors need to be in good health, without high blood pressure, kidney, heart, liver or other major health issues. For more details on donor qualifications go to: www.lkdn.org/who_can_be_living_donor.html

Donating a kidney involves a major surgical procedure, and the donor is usually in the hospital 1- 3 days.  The recuperation period is anywhere from 14 - 21 days for those with an office job, and about 6 weeks if the individual’s work entails more physical labor. The majority of the procedures are done laparoscopically, with 3 - 4 small holes for the instruments. A small incision is made to remove the transplanted kidney. Medical expenses relating to the transplant are paid by the recipient’s (my) insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield). Donors could be reimbursed for lost wages or travel expenses.

If you would like to learn more about the donation process, please contact me and I would be happy to discuss it in detail with you.

I am working with Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In 2010, they performed 167 living kidney transplants, ranking them as the #2 hospital in the U.S. You could contact their Independent Living Donor Advocate, Jami Hanneman, MSW, LCSW, CCTSW 312-695 0828 who could answer questions (confidentially) and coordinate donor activity.

Please feel free to pass this information along to your family members and/or friends. Telling them about my situation will raise awareness and the potential of finding a compatible donor.

I greatly appreciate your support and concern.

Harvey

I ask that any of you in the donor community with a blog or website to please share Harvey's story. Exposure is critical in increasing the pool of available donors for Harvey, and I can't think of a more worthy recipient.

We love you and pray for you, Harvey.

60-person chain of transplants

The National Kidney Registry has facilitated an unprecedented
60-person chain of kidney transplants.

The New York Times has done a beautiful and thorough piece on this, and I encourage any prospective donor to read the article. Again, another example of how important non-directed donors are in yielding larger numbers of kidney transplants annually.

Click here to read the article in the New York Times.

Kudos to Garet Hil and his team at the National Kidney Registry!

national kidney foundation - survey

Hola, donors!

Just received some information regarding a survey available online, for all living donors.

Please continue reading the global email sent out by the National Kidney Foundation, and consider participating if you want your voice to be heard.

Dear Living Donors,


The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and MetroHealth Medical Center, in partnership with the American Society of Transplantation (AST), have developed a survey to find out more about the needs of living kidney donors.


We are asking individuals who have donated a kidney in the United States to participate in the survey. The purpose of this survey is to ask you to share you opinions with us so that we can better understand the needs of living organ donors. We hope to learn more about your experience as a living organ donor: what went well and what can be done to improve the experience of future living organ donors.


The survey will take between 20 to 40 minutes depending upon how much information you want to share.


For more information, or to take the survey, please visit:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/NKFDonorAfterCareSurvey


Thank you,
Jennifer Martin
National Kidney Foundation


See you soon...

give love, give life

Happy Valentine's Day

jogging to julia

I'm well rested. I should be, since it's now winter and I think the last time I posted a personal update, there were still leaves on the trees. I say I'm rested because I've been tired, for about 4 months now. Exhausted is more like it. Life is good, but I've been frustrated with a few areas of my life and my brain hurts from thinking too much. I have this ability to endure physical exhaustion much more than the emotional kind. I can work nonstop on my feet for days without a break, but ask me to find a solution to a life problem, and I cave until I can get another 9 hours of sleep.  Let's just say that I'm in transition now. I have made some decisions that I feel are going to be positive and challenging. Gotta have that challenge, right? Challenge is knowledge and knowledge is growth. So, stay tuned for updates.

If you've been following my journey through 2011, you all know that I made a decision to run a half marathon before the end of the year. On October 30, 2011, I finished the Los Angeles Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in 2:20:51.

Sweaty, and stinky I'm sure, minutes after crossing the finish line.

My hand-crafted race day shirt, worn proudly.

The race was awesome! I had such a great time. I can still recall so many moments on the course. Probably one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences in my life. Right up there with the county fair. I'm not gonna lie to you, it was difficult and there were moments after mile 11 that I was asking myself why in the hell I chose this challenge instead of a hot dog eating one. But, I powered through and got my second-wind once I caught a glimpse of the finish line and the beer truck.

As I pounded the pavement that day, thoughts of meeting Julia, my recipient, filtered in and out of my head. Excited, anxious, curious and a teeny-tiny bit nervous. I can't say I had any expectations. It's a waste of time, as far as I'm concerned. Like anticipating when Derek will pop the question. I have no doubt he will, I just need to be patient and wait until he can rack in another $20 mil before we settle down.

I was staying in L.A. and she lives approximately 2.5 hours away. We mutually decided to meet at a Chili's restaurant and have a late lunch, so her daughter could join us after school. So, on Halloween morning, I schlepped a gallon of Starbucks coffee and my GPS all the way to Bakersfield, CA.

Me and my big hair arrived early (I'm OCD), and impatiently waited for her to arrive. My hands started sweating and I suddenly started feeling that ickiness in my tummy that would hit me every time I had a blind date. What if she doesn't show? What if she backs out at the last minute because she is having second thoughts?

Ten minutes later (how dare she be late) she walked in with her adorable daughter. We hugged and promptly took a seat in a booth in a hard-to-find, quiet corner. I perused the menu for something that wouldn't give me gas, or add an extra 5 lbs. to my delicate and fragile frame. What I really wanted was a margarita. That would have been a nice Kodak moment to capture, right? Me, my margarita and my California kidney. Conversation was very generic and initially focused on what else, Halloween. We chatted about her daughter and her school, the community and naturally - the weather. I decided that I was not going to lead the conversation, but instead take a step back and let her ask the questions. After all, just having this opportunity to be face-to-face with the woman that now has my kidney inside of her was more than I could ever ask for. Firing questions at her regarding her personal life was in my opinion, none of my business.

She shared much more with me about her journey, her illness, her time on the list, her dialysis treatments and her frustrations of waiting for a donor. She asked few questions, but one of which I didn't expect.

"What made you decide to donate?"

And so, I shared my story, which really isn't too much of a story. "Because I can. Because I wanted to provide someone in need, with just a little nugget of the good health that I was fortunate enough to have every day I wake up. It really wasn't a big deal, Julia."

She looked at me, and paused as tears fell down her cheeks, "It is a big deal, Angela. It's a very big deal. It's a big deal to me, my family and my daughter. You have completely changed my life."

And as she said that, it was then that I realized what I had done. This woman sitting across from me in a Chili's restaurant, in Bakersfield, CA is living with my kidney. Very surreal.

We spent 2.5 hours together, sharing stories of our families, our challenges and our goals. It was getting late, and time for her daughter to begin her trick-or-treating, so we decided to part. As we got up from the table I happened to look down at the floor and noticed a dragonfly tattoo on her foot. I asked her about it, and she told me that she loves dragonflies and collects anything with a dragonfly on it. I immediately thought of my blog, and the illustration featured on my page that I created in the summer of 2010.

Everything happens for a reason.

Julia and I, October 31, 2011 - Bakersfield, CA

the search and the gift

John Tait, a student at Columbia College Chicago, has completed this video on the recipient/donor experience. I don't know much about John, but I wanted to share this with my readers, as I thought he did a great job conveying the emotions of both parties through their journeys.

Great job, John.
Enjoy...
The Search and the Gift

survey: donor follow-up care

Hello, fellow donors!

We invite you to take a moment to participate in this survey. It was created out of a very real need for accurate data on the follow-up contact and care that does (and often does not) happen post-donation. The living kidney donor community has learned that UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) is trying to pass protocol (#9), that would make it mandatory for transplant centers to follow-up with their donors. However, once pressed for records of follow-up attempts, many centers have responded with the claim that donors do not wish to be contacted after their surgery for follow-up questioning and care.

In an effort to present sound proof and representative data to the transplant community to back up our sentiments that donors do typically want some form of follow-up, we decided to reach out to the donor community via this questionnaire. Your participation gives voice to this very important cause, and we thank you for speaking up on behalf of those donors who cannot do so themselves.

On behalf of the living kidney donor community at large, thank you for agreeing to take part in the survey.

To participate, please click on this link:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/follow-up_care


Thank you!

giving thanks

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What more fun could anyone possibly ask for in one day? Plenty of adult beverages, food, family and football. I loooooove Thanksgiving.

Naturally, there are endless things I'm thankful for... like water, shelter, employment, friends and family. But, there are many other elements of my day-to-day life that I just couldn't live without, and I'm going to name just a few...

HAIR PRODUCTS
Because without them, I could easily be mistaken for him.

COFFEE
Because without this, I feel like her.

PILLOW
I can't believe that I spent $44 on a piece of foam. Until 2 weeks ago, I had been using a stack of maxi-pads. I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

SIRIUS RADIO
I rarely treat myself to luxury, but when I purchased my car 5 years ago, I also bought a lifetime subscription to Sirius. Makes my 30-minute commute to hell work, not so painful and now I have a lifetime of jazz that follows me wherever I go.

HEATED SEATS
The butt burners in my vehicle make it the only place I'm guaranteed to be warm.

RUNNING SNEAKERS
Provides me balance in my life. Never dreamed they could mean so much to me.

MOM
My hero.

CAT
She's been with me for 3 years now, and still has no name. I don't know what I'd do without her.

HEALTH
I've been blessed, and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for giving me the ability to move my body every day.

REALITY TV
Because as long as this mindless crap exists, I'll never forget just how real my life really is.

MEN
I'll be boy-crazy until the day I die. Love me some men!

That's it. For now.
Wishing all my readers a day of love, food, laughter and tummy aches.

Until next time... Enjoy the holiday season. It's here!

free beer and hot wings... thank you

I'm not talking about the feast of hops and fat. I'm talking about the men I wake up with every weekday morning - my radio guys, the Free Beer and Hot Wings morning show.

This syndicated, morning talk show has been my daily happy pill since Howard Stern left our local radio station for satellite. I remember tuning in that first morning they took over, and as soon as I heard the name I was turned off. I'm glad I gave them a chance, because after enduring their stupidity for about two weeks, they really grew on me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I feel like these guys are a part of my family. I've been with them through their ups and downs, the births of their children, their personal accomplishments off the air, etc... and they've been with me through mine. Right.

They stop in Albany for live remotes about once a year and you can guarantee that regardless of what watering hole they show up in, I'm there. I've met them countless times and they are always kind, considerate and willing to take the time to chat with all their fans. I. Love. Them.

And I'm sure they love me. Like me? Maybe. I tune them in as soon as I hit my car in the a.m. for my dreaded trip to hell the office. I wait in the parking lot until the commercial break, then run into the office, pop open the laptop and continue to stream them until the show ends at 10am. Then I pout.

I'm particularly attracted to their show because of the wide range of current events they cover. They are all bright and humorous men, but their commentary is always fair, honest and very real. They have this ability to speak their minds without creating a partisan fog attached to their brand. I don't always agree with their social and political views, but they have a brilliant way of speaking their minds without pissing off the natives. Stay with me because I do have a point here. I'm just being selfish because these guys mean so much to me, I feel the need to brag about them.

Eric Zane, of (FBHW) and I
Summer 2010, Ravenswood Pub

This Wednesday morning, they updated the audience on the story of Marine Cpl. Kelsey De Santis' date with Justin Timberlake. I won't bore you with the details, but the premise of the story led them to the topic of emotional blackmail, and how these type of requests from us 'little' people to celebrities could easily get out of hand, and where do you draw the line? Agreed. 

It was then that the guys read an email from a listener whose mother was in need of a kidney transplant. This woman asked Eric Zane if she would go on a date with her mother, to raise awareness of her mother's need for a kidney. And he jumped all over that and said, "Of course... not." In a few short minutes, the conversation quickly transitioned into kidney donation, and that's when I got a little bit excited.

I have their call-in number on my phone, for that one time in my life that I think I'm actually going to have the balls to call in and spew my opinion to the national audience about flatulence, pornography, animal abuse, or any number of the intelligent topics they cover. I took a deep breath, hit the call button and prayed they wouldn't pick up. They picked up, and then I peed my pants. 

Within 15 seconds I was on the air. Honestly, I don't even remember too much of what I said, and I'm thankful that I will never have the opportunity to hear myself. I do remember expressing my thoughts on being a living kidney donor and sharing with them the opportunity that I was blessed with and how easy this is for the healthy segment of this population to consider being a part of.  I explained that I was a non-directed donor, that I recently met my recipient (btw, that blog post is around the corner), and how terrific and healthy I still feel.

Producer Joe, Free Beer, Eric Zane, Hot Wings and Steve

And so, within a minute I was on and off the radio. This made my day. For two reasons: I got to talk to my radio guys, and, they let me share my story and bring this very important issue to the airways. You can't imagine how much this meant to me. Best part of all is that they were nice to me. I expected them to deliver sarcasm at their best. Nope. See, they do like me. 

The conversation continued for a short bit, and they took several more calls on this. I was so happy that this was being discussed on national radio. But, I was even happier to see the positive feedback offered by their listening audience. They were as surprised as I was, getting a slew of emails from listeners expressing genuine interest in being a candidate to donate their kidney to Kelley's mom. Success!

Much to my surprise, Thursday brought even more interest in the topic, and again, my guys delivered. More listeners called in to express interest in the show then added Kelley's blog link to their site, for those that were requesting more information on the recipient's story. I quickly shot an email to the show and added that they need to explain to the listeners the seriousness of this process and that's it not to be taken lightly. Free Beer read my email on the show and pointed the listeners to the National Kidney Registry, should they want to learn more about how to become a donor. Once again, I peed my pants. Success, part deux!

I think I'm still riding on the high of this experience. Never in a million years did I imagine that two of my favorite things in the world would come together as one. I have since emailed Kelley, and shared with her my own personal journey, and promised her I would contact her again soon to give her some contacts. Kelley's story is just one of 80,000+ right now. 

What I found to be surprising about this conversation on the air, was the overwhelming and sincere response of listeners that were actually interested in pursuing this. I still think that if we could have more opportunities to spread the word and bring awareness of living kidney donation, the misconceptions of surgery could be dramatically reduced. I'm also convinced that the media outlet to share this information needs to be re-thought. Why do we need to limit our conversation and exposure to health fairs and expos only? Why can't our voices be heard more on the radio and TV? The general public needs to be informed more often, from us donors. We've been on this journey to save a life. We continue our adventure, with only one kidney, as living proof that it can be done.

Until next time... please tune in to hear my radio guys. I guarantee you will be insulted, shocked, humored and even impressed. 

deepak and the kidney

I'm a huge fan of Huffington Post, specifically, their Healthy Living features. I stumbled on a great piece written by Deepak Chopra, on kidneys. I found this blog post to be extremely educational, simple and easy to comprehend. I know I learned something when I read it, and I hope you do, too.

Deepak Chopra

For those of you not familiar with Deepak Chopra, I encourage you to do some research on his teachings and philosophy. He's a great speaker and if you ever get a chance to attend one of his lectures, jump all over that. Plus, he's a hottie. Intelligence is sexy!

I hope you enjoy his post, and please leave a comment if you have other articles you feel might be beneficial to my readers.

Happy, healthy kidneys!

boo!

inspiration - pt. 2

Catch up with 'inspiration - pt. 1', here.

My other inspiration to reach my goal, and reach it in Californ-I-A, is my recipient. I chose this particular race in L.A., for an opportunity to visit my kidney. My right kidney is feeling lonely and needs a hug, so, I decided to reach out to my recipient and ask her if she would be open to meeting me. I got an enthusiastic text message reply from her... "Yes, yes, yes!"

Visiting California, participating in my first half marathon and giving myself a much overdue vacation were all part of my plan. As joyful and exciting as it would be to meet my recipient for the first time, I didn't want that possibility to interfere with my goal. It had crossed my mind that Julia would not be receptive to me throwing myself at her (now who could deny me?) and cashing in on my visitation right. I didn't want to plan my trip to L.A. contingent upon her acceptance or rejection of my request to meet her.  So, I waited 2 days after I registered to reach out to her, and I'm glad I did. For the last 3 months my focus has been on my training, not on meeting her. It's not healthy for me emotionally, to have expectations in my life that I have no control over.

There's still a chance that Julia will not want to, or be able, to meet me. Many donors never get this opportunity. Some simply don't want to know or connect with their recipients. Some are promised a contact and then the recipient never follows through with the connection. Others still just can't make it happen because of the distance between them. I decided that it's now or never for me. As much as I love to travel, I don't have available vacation time, and my income is tied up in wine, Starbucks and athletic wear. I mean, a girl's gotta live, right? I need this time, for me. Plus, I love my job so much I know I won't want to take another vacation for at least 3 years.

My training has been going so well, I almost feel like I'm jinxing myself saying this out loud. I'm not denying that it has been hard, damn hard, but I feel so good about my progress. I think that following my plan precisely and maintaining some discipline with my nutrition has led me to successful preparation. I haven't been logging my pace - honestly, I could care less how long it takes me to finish. I've never been competitive, and my goal is to finish with a smile on my face. I fight my fatigue daily, and there have been times that I came so close to going straight home after work instead of hitting the park to run, but I can't let my fatigue beat me.

Simmer down, it's a temp. 

There's no doubt that my recipient has been a significant inspiration to me. Some might think that it's absurd to have someone you don't know be such a motivator for an accomplishment. Every run I take, thoughts of her come to my mind. I think of how amazing it is that the human body is capable of giving up a functioning organ, and yet still able to function. I am more fit now that I was in the weeks leading up to my donation. I remember feeling so focused on my health prior to that surgery and now I feel like it's even more important to maintain that.

I was running for my recipient before my kidney was gone, and now I'm running for all recipients that have yet to find a donor. I'm living proof to everyone capable of donating their kidney, that you will continue to live a full life and thrive in your fitness goals. I couldn't run more than 5 miles before I donated. I ran 10 miles yesterday. If there are skeptics that doubt the well-being of donors, I hope they can see the reality of not only maintaining their health, but improving upon it, after donation.

I'm not nervous for October 30th - I'm excited! I've enjoyed my journey in preparation of my big day. I've learned a lot about myself and I've learned that you don't really have to know someone to be inspired by them. I hope I can inspire others to take the initiative to entertain the option to be a donor, and register to give the gift of life.

Until next time... I'll be putting in my final miles, and still giving lots of smiles!

celebrate life

OPTN/UNOS policy proposal for public comment

UNOS/OPTN distributed electronically, September 16, 2011.

[ The proposed policies from the Living Donor Committee, and likely to be of more interest to living kidney donors: #8, #9, #10, #31, #42, #43 & #50. ]

This document contains fourteen policy proposals being offered for public comment. These proposals were developed by OPTN/UNOS committees. When the public comment period ends on December 23, 2011, each sponsoring committee will review the feedback they receive and consider modifications to the original proposals. The OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors may then review and vote on these proposals at its meeting on Juney 25-26, 2012.

We welcome your feedback on this policy proposal and other aspects of the public comment process as we continue to improve the way that we communicate with the community. Please note that all exhibits and appendices to these proposals can be found on the OPTN website via the link below. Please click on this link to provide your comments on these proposals.

You may also send general feedback to: publiccomment@unos.org.

Please submit all comments no later than December 23, 2011. For questions about the proposal, please contact your Regional Administrator at (804) 782-4800.

Thank you in advance for your careful review and feed back on this proposal.

For information on OPTN: 

 Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

For information on UNOS: 

United Network for Organ Sharing

one year. one kidney

Happy Anniversary, to me. A Starbucks skinny vanilla latte is helping me celebrate. Yum.

One year ago today, September 22, 2010, I donated my kidney to an unknown recipient.  I remember waking up from the anesthesia and whispering to my mother, "I'm so happy I did this." And I still am.

I would do it again tomorrow, but I can't. I recall going into surgery early that morning feeling remarkably calm as I laid down on the operating table. My last thought before being put under was how unfortunate it was that I was going to miss the moment that I had been anticipating for 6 months. Bam! It's over, and I have nothing to show for it, but my scar. It's a constant reminder, and a good one.  I think doc did a damn fine job.

September 20, 2010

October 31, 2010

September 22, 2011

My left kidney is now in the body of a beautiful 29-year old woman in Bakersfield, CA. And I wish I was there with it. Hello, sunshine!! Last I heard, she is doing fantastic. Her doctor has given her the go-ahead to have another baby, and she is thrilled to be working once again, going to school, and enjoying the wonderful life that for so long she had been stripped of.  I don't have much contact with her, but a warm text message pops up once every few months with an update on her health. You can't imagine how relieved I am when I hear of this good news. I still think about her every day.

I often get questioned about my health since that big day. (Physical, not mental, cuz they all know I'm a freak.) Friends still ask me how I'm feeling, and what changes I may have noticed since the donation. Honestly, I feel great. No pain, anywhere. As you can see from the crappy iPhone pics, my incision scar has healed beautifully and I am still shocked that they pulled anything larger than an M&M out of that. And there would be gobs of them... peanut, coconut, peanut butter...

There is one side effect from my surgery that has not diminished. Fatigue. Boo hoo. It's bad and it's not getting better. I hate to admit it, because outside of this one issue, I'm exactly the same person I was on September 21, 2010. The fatigue was expected early on in my recovery, and I was aware that I would have to work through it over time. Well, it's been a year now, and it's not any better than it was the day after my surgery. 

I am a very busy chick, and I do push myself, but I know my body and I know that I feel different now. I believe that fatigue is manageable. It's not pain, it's an inconvenience. I work through it, but it's hard as hell. Some days I feel like I could fall asleep standing up. Even when I'm in the middle of the most exciting and stimulating adventure with friends, I feel tired. All. The. Time. It never goes away and I am having a hard time tolerating it. But, I will. I do.

There are donors that have experienced this long-term fatigue, as I have been doing some research online to find suggestions as to how they cope with it. I know there are prospective donors that read my blog, and I mention all this because I think it's important to be honest in sharing my experience. I do want to be clear though that not all donors suffer from this particular side effect. I want to reiterate that every single donor has a unique experience - before, during and after surgery. Some donors have suggested that maybe I am still not healed and that the fatigue will slowly go away. That would be great and I am anxiously awaiting that possibility. 

The goal with my blog was to inspire and motivate just one individual to donate their kidney. That hasn't happened yet. However, I have met some amazing donors that I have had the pleasure of mentoring over this past year, and that's a huge achievement in my heart. I hope that I can continue to educate, inspire and be a friend to those that are beginning their donation journey. I know I had a wonderful mentor when I began mine and I want to continue to help others in the same way that Cara helped me.

I am so fortunate to have the ability to do what I did. I enjoyed the process, the research, the knowledge I  gained, and more than anything, I have enjoyed knowing that I have given new life to a woman, her husband, and her daughter.

For those interested in learning more about becoming a living kidney donor, please visit the following organizations online to get more information. Take the opportunity to have the most meaningful experience of your life - donate your kidney.

• National Kidney Registry
• Living Kidney Donors Network
• National Kidney Foundation
• United Network for Organ Sharing

Until next time... It's getting cold in NY, I've released the wool and down comforter - hibernation has begun. Not happy.

UNOS region 9 meeting

Living kidney donors, listen up!

UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) is holding a conference at which they will be forming transplantation and donation policies that could affect current and future donors - and they are doing so without the representation of the donor community.

We need your voice! Please help protect our rights by attending their Region 9 conference with us.

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

10am-3pm

Albany Marriot

189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY

If you are interested in joining forces with other living kidney donors who want to be heard, please send us an email: lkdalliance@gmail.com

I encourage you to get involved in UNOS through attending this upcoming regional meeting and participating in the policy making process.

Would love to have this opportunity to meet other living donors, and share our experiences!

See you there!