Kidney Donation Process - Part I

[@clintsprague3512]

I'm in the process of going through everything now to donate a kidney and it's so awesome that you've done that ❤

[@lyddibitz]

Thank you so much for this! My two day appointment is in November. I really appreciate you going into so much detail. I’m not nervous just anxious to get this done and be able to give a better life to someone. My transplant coordinator is amazing and has made the process go so smoothly. Amazing what you did. ❤️

[@lloydtatendachiremba9351]

How did it go

[@Trinchris1]

Great information. My husband has Stage 5 Kidney disease and is I. Need of a Kidney

[@RabindraDhami-nu7yi]

Hello

[@MiySadochok]

Can be a lonely person , who does not have a family in the country, be a donor?

[@markhill9275]

My questions for you, as i am looking to donate for a friend, the big one is Why? What made you decide to donate? What was your process of actually coming to this decision. It appears you were donating to a previously unkown person?

[@mobanstudio3695]

Yes I donated to an unknown person. I preferred it that way. If you think all people are equals - which I can't pretend I always act on but I at least aspire to - then kidney donation of all decisions ought to reflect as much. That's why I wanted to yield the recipient selection to the bioethics committees. I think being very sick as a kid 1) led me to deeply empathize with others who have chronic illness 2) helped me be more comfortable with medical procedures. Best of luck!

[@markhill9275]

​@mobanstudio3695 Well, i'm further down the road, i am actually a match, but being 68, they have been very strong on the blood pressure thing, which i am high, but they think it can be controlled with 1 med. (already had changed my lifestyle and eating habits, so hopefully i won't need the med for long term!). I am 3-4 hrs from St Louis Uni Hospital, and have dogs and kitties that it is hard to be away overnight from, so they are doing my testing in one day. Labs, xray, CT Scan, then meetings. What im wondering, first, you are 2 years? out now, how are you feeling, how has it affected your lifestyle, do you have any cons with hindsight. All i seem to get is rose coloured glasses type reports on line. I am very motivated to do this, but my overriding criteria is that it doesn't change what a can and can't do. Having said that i'm getting older, and factor that in. I'm just hoping fro different viewpoints, i want to be as informed as possible, so if i find something that doesn't fit then i will rethink my decision. Due diligence if you like. Again i'm very motivated to do this, just wanting as much input as possible. Many thanks for making your vids, they are helping and giving me food for thought and motivation

[@rkem139]

I did a non-directed donation and I heard a pretty good analogy. If you are approved, it means you are so healthy that you essentially have the equivalent of a winning lotto ticket that in all likelihood you can never cash out, but someone else can. Way I looked at it, is that if I needed an organ and one was offered I would accept it, but I was lucky enough that the situation was reversed. It seemed morally consistent to give what I would have accepted.