Being a living donor isn’t for everyone. It’s a big decision. But if being a wimp is what’s stopping you from donating, I hope you’ll find my story encouraging. I’m a professional writer/editor and a donation advocate. In recent years I’ve been writing about my own experience and the living donation process in op-eds, online magazines [for example, South Writ Large], blogs, and a new book, The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation. My hope is that my story–along with relatable, nontechnical information about kidney donation–will resonate with anyone, wimp or not, who’s ever toyed with the idea of donating but was hesitant.
If a wimp like me could donate a kidney, you probably can, too.
If my school yearbook had had a “Least Likely to Be a Living Kidney Donor” category, that would’ve been me. A lifelong wimp, I’ve even fainted at flu shots. So the short answer to “Why did a wimp become a kidney donor?” is simple: my son’s kidneys were failing, and I was the only one who stepped forward who could.
But that might have been the end of the story—and you wouldn’t be reading this—if the experience hadn’t been (1) far easier than I feared, (2) even more gratifying than I expected (beyond the obvious benefits to my son), and (3) worth shouting about. When I was contemplating donating my kidney, I knew no one who’d donated and there was no place to ask the seemingly silly questions (I know now that when it comes to organ donation, there are no silly questions).
That’s why I want to help kidney donors and would-be donors by sharing my experience here along with candid, accurate information; by debunking myths; and providing resources. The book I’ve written, with a living-donor-kidney recipient, Betsy Crais, does all that and more. The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation: Everything You Need to Know If You Give (or Get) the Greatest Gift, has just been published. Our book also includes much-needed nontechnical guidance for kidney patients considering or dealing with a transplant, from medical information to the impact on family relationships. Patient or donor, it’s critical to consider all the issues and be well informed. Knowledge is power–never more so than in matters of health.
Contact me here or at carol.kidneydonorhelp@gmail.com
Pictured above: Living Donors rally at “the Bean” in Chicago: Guinness World Record for largest gathering of living donors, April 21, 2018. Photo by John Martin Photography, Detroit.
Could You Be a Kidney Donor? What to Expect If You Give the Greatest Gift 