I'd Do It Now

Organ donation is a big deal. And in my eyes, I think organ donation should be more than just something a person can do after they have passed away. Maybe that is due to my situation. When I was in elementary school, my mom had to have her kidney removed. Her kidney problems date back to when she was in her late teens. She had to spend days at a time in the hospital trying to fix her kidney and has the scars to show. After finally getting things under control, my mom thought she was in the clear. But in the mid-90’s, she opted for a laparoscopic removal of her failing kidney.

After reading about donation issues such as the high number of people in need a kidney, my heart dropped. What if my mom’s good kidney fails? A little panicked, nothing new, I rushed to ask her if her other kidney was okay. After reassuring me, she was curious where my question came from. She said I was being dramatic (surprise) and told me that it should be okay for the rest of her life. Despite my efforts to believe her, I told her right then and there that if she ever needed a kidney, that I would give her mine. As usual, she made some witty comment and then I could hear her smile through the phone. She knew I was being serious and let the conversation switch topics. But that’s when I started thinking. Just because I am her daughter, doesn’t mean I’m a match, nor does it guarantee my sister to be able to help. Instead, it made me worry more. If my mom needed a new kidney, she would have to wait on the list just like everyone else. That’s when I remembered all the TV shows I’d seen talking about the black market and illegal donation. Why can’t someone who is alive, donate their kidney if they want?

I know it sounds insane, but what if people wanted to donate this organ to someone else. Everyone is born with two kidneys, but can live with one. Maybe it is the philanthropy fever I have caught lately, but I would willingly throw my name on a donor list. Most people who need a kidney are desperate. They have exhausted all of their resources and still have no match. What if I was that match? What if my kidney could save the life of a little girl or a growing young man? And I think many people feel the same way. I think there should be a way to volunteer to donate your kidney. I’m not sure how, but I think there needs to be something. Maybe a Web site! Here, people who need a kidney could give their story and ask for help?
I don’t know. Now that I am writing this down, it makes me sound a little crazy; the fact that I would volunteer this for a stranger. But after spending so much time trying to sign-up organ/tissue donors and knowing all of the statistics, it is hard not to sound a slight be crazy. I have watched people blow off organ donation and refuse to sign-up. I have heard people agree with the myths. Yet there are still people, lots and lots of people, waiting for organs, many of them kidneys. Their lives are fragile and depend on someone else’s life. It is a hard concept to grasp.

And now that I have thought that my mom could be on the donor list sometime, it makes the concept even more absurd. I can’t imagine sitting with my mom and waiting for someone else to die in order for her to live. I just think how much easier it would be to turn to a Web site or volunteer list where someone willing could just list what she needed and everything could be arranged. Although every person our group signs-up to become a donor really helps, I don’t think they understand it. I just wish there was something more we could do to engage the nation to become more aware of this issue and just how many people are waiting for a kidney alone! I guess, this campaign is finally hitting home for me and it’s scary.

Written by Amanda McKelvey

Dear Abby Discusses Awareness

Just as severe illness can strike the old, it can affect the young too. A Dear Abby article published March 5th pointed out the impact of disease on a young girl. Kidney disease shouldn’t be part of most 12-year-olds’ vocabulary, as it usually affects older people - but the writer, a now older Klarissa Ramirez of Minneapolis, knew all too well what it meant.
Ramirez was diagnosed during a routine athletic physical check-up. The routine check-up possibly saved her from losing her kidneys. She states in her letter that 100 people are added to the national donation list and 17 die every day waiting for organs. She stresses early screening and a healthy lifestyle as a way each individual can protect themselves.
Abby also added to Klarissa’s plea by informing her readers that March is National Kidney Month. Specifically, March 12th is World Kidney Day. The National Kidney Foundation raises awareness on this day by providing a free screening program called KEEP – Kidney Early Evaluation Program.
The National Kidney Foundation can help locate a program near you by calling 800-622-9010.
Wanna Do It...
…Do It Now!

Written by Madison Bender