You may not know that my wife, Susan, has kidney disease and her kidneys are not working well enough to keep her alive.
Her treatment options are limited to dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.
Currently she goes to dialysis treatment 3 days per week for 4 hours each day. This means her kidneys are cleansing the toxins from her body only 12 hours per week instead of the 168 hours per week that God intended our bodies to do naturally.
These dialysis treatments keep her alive, but a transplant would offer her more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life.
A transplant would allow her to live a longer life and to spend more time doing what she loves best, like spending time with family and friends, and traveling with me.
Finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 100,000 plus people like Susan on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney. Time is not on her side. Some people live for years: many die while waiting. The average wait time is five years or more for a kidney from a deceased donor.
However, there is another option; receiving a kidney from a living donor.
Unfortunately I am not a match as a kidney donor for Susan.
Asking a family member or friend to consider donating a kidney to her is difficult, but it greatly improves her chances of getting a transplant. A living kidney donation typically lasts longer and has better function.
You may not know a lot about living donation—I didn’t before kidney disease affected Susan’s life. Understandably, some people are afraid about the surgery and what living with one kidney will mean for them. Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:
You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.
Most Donor surgery is done by Laparoscopy, meaning through tiny incisions.
The recuperation period is usually quick, generally two weeks.
The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by Susan’s insurance. The hospital can give you extensive information on this.
You will have a separate team of healthcare professional to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests.
