I can't believe that it's been 4 weeks since I found out I was approved to be a living kidney donor! It honestly seems like it was just last week. Unfortunately, nothing has really happened with me in the last 4 weeks. I called my donor coordinator last week. I wanted to check in, but more importantly I wanted to inquire about the bill I received from the Mayo Clinic saying I owed them over $16,000!!! Don't worry, I don't really owe them anything. It was a billing mistake. I'm sure you can imagine the mini heart attack I had when I opened that envelope. When I spoke to Lisa last week, she said she really didn't have any news for me yet. She originally told me that I would probably be matched pretty quickly, but it sounds like they are having issues finding matches for other people in order to keep the chain going. She also mentioned that since we agreed I wouldn't be having surgery until after the first of the year, the "powers that be" might be delayed in matching me because I won't be ready for surgery for a couple of months. I'm not too worried about it. I have faith that everything will work out the way it should, when it should.
Nothing has happened with me in the last few weeks, but there has been lots of exciting things going on with some of the families I have been following. I mentioned in a previous post that Raleigh Callaway had his transplant back on September 25th. In case you forgot, he is the person I heard about back in July who inspired me to become a donor. From everything I've seen and heard from his wife Kristi, Raleigh and his donor Chris are both doing great! Kristi and her friend Brandy have both been very hard at work with Callaways Angels, bringing about awareness about kidney disease and donation. If you haven't checked out their page on facebook, check out Our Daddy Needs a Kidney-Team Callaway. Each week or so they feature the story of a person looking for a donor. This is such a great thing they are doing, and I just know they are going to help so many people find their perfect match!
I have also previously mentioned LaDonna, who I met at the Mayo Clinic while I was doing my testing. She was there going through her own testing so that she could donate to her husband Luke. She had already found out she was a match, but was waiting to be approved by Mayo to be a living donor. She found out soon after I did that she was approved, and her and her husband had their surgery this past week, on November 7th. It sounds like everything was a success! I was hoping to go and visit her this past weekend, but I came down with a pretty bad cold and didn't want to risk spreading to her or her husband. I can't wait to pick her brain and hear specifics about her surgery, since I will be having mine done at the same place.
The last person I have been following is Geoffrey McIntyre. I came across their facebook page shortly before I started my testing at Mayo. He was on the transplant list at Mayo, as well as another transplant center in GA. They announced several weeks ago that they had a potential donor, but that person still had some testing to complete. It turns out they were a match, and they were approved by the transplant center in GA, so Geoffrey is scheduled to get a new kidney on December 12th...which just happens to be my birthday! Sounds like a great day to me. :)
I have also joined a group on facebook for kidney donors and transplant recipients. It has definitely been informative and helpful. When I first decided I wanted to donate, I knew nothing about kidney disease. Every day people are posting about their experiences and any questions they have, and there is never a shortage of answers or comments. I could literally spend all day looking through the page. It's really opened my eyes to what life is like for something who is waiting for a transplant. The group has also allowed me to connect with people around the country who are in the process of donating themselves. It's great to talk with someone who is going through the same thing you are.
I hope I have some exciting news of my own to share soon!
