April is a very special month for me. It is Organ Donation Awareness Month! Also, on April 6, 2007, I received a kidney transplant that saved my life. This year I will celebrate my six year anniversary with my new kidney!!
I realize that this is mainly my {Origami Owl} blog, but most people that I talk to are very interested in how a kidney transplant works, and since I am obviously a HUGE organ donation advocate, I wanted to share a little bit of info:
- Humans only need one kidney to life a full, healthy, life! Giving one of your kidneys does not make you more susceptible to illness, kidney failure, or any other health problems.
- In fact, studies have shown that people who donate one of their kidneys (living donors) live a longer, healthier life than those with two healthy, functioning kidneys. However, there is some speculation that this might be tied to the fact that those who are willing to give up a kidney for another human are likely happier and healthier individuals.
- Approximately 16 people die a day in the United States waiting for a kidney transplant!
I started getting sick when I was 21 years old. I underwent a kidney biopsy and was diagnosed with Glomerulonephritis. It is caused by a strep infection. My kidneys continued to function fairly well for several years until I became pregnant with my first child. The further along I got in the pregnancy, the worse my kidneys were performing. My kidneys failed when I was 24 weeks along in my pregnancy. It was the hardest time of my life. I was in the hospital for about 2 weeks waiting to see if my kidneys would regain function. After I was released, I buried my daughter and started dialysis.
I waited for nearly 2 years on the waiting list. I will never forget the morning that fateful "We have a kidney for you" call came. I was given a second chance at life.
I am thankful every single day for my donor, Tracey McTeague, and her family. They had the strength and courage to make a very difficult decision at the hardest moment of their lives. Her mother found her daughter murdered on the kitchen floor and remembered that Tracey had told her just a few weeks before that she wanted to be an organ donor. Thanks to them, I am healthy, happy, I have delivered two healthy baby girls, and I try to honor her memory every day by being a kinder, happier person.
{My Life is a Gift}
In honor of my transplant month, I will be doing a giveaway on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/locketsbytracy Please come over and enter to win one of these beautiful Origami Owl Sterling Silver dangles. The front side is adorned with a beautiful tree of life and the back says "Life is a Gift" It truly is.
