My Kidney Journey Part 11

April Fools…..no joke this year……

Sadly, the journey continues…..

On April 1st, April Fool’s Day, I learned that “A” was declined. Unfortunately for me, this was not a practical joke. After months of testing, the team of doctors at St. Mike’s made a decision that they would not take a kidney from “A”. I don’t know all the details and likely never will.

It was a very sad day for me. I heard through my cousin Cindy, that “A” was also so disappointed. She was very confident she would be given the green light as she had made it through to the very end of testing. As mentioned prior, “A” is a very special person. She doesn’t know me personally but yet she was offering me the gift of life. She will always hold a special place in my heart.

I had a glimmer of hope that the other person who had come forward (at the same time as “A”) could start with the testing. They were contacted by Renewal and still expressed interest. However, they were eliminated during the initial questionnaire stage based on a pre-existing medical condition. This person wished to remain anonymous so I do not know, and I never will know who you are, but if you are reading this, thank you for trying. Hugs.

So now I am back to ground zero. It is mentally exhausting, the emotional ups and downs, highs and lows. But, as in the past, I will keep trying to plod along. Although this time I feel it is a bit more of a race; to see if I will have a life-saving transplant before my body fails me. Recently, I am noticing more chronic kidney symptoms such as extreme fatigue, overall aches and pain, and more than just normal age related memory/concentration issues. I know many of you reading this are probably saying “I have all that” but unless you have experienced some sort of illness, we can tell you it’s different. So, as a very gentle aside, when someone sick tells you how they are feeling, just listen. You don’t need to compare yourself to them. It’s not a one-upmanship.

Once again my cousin Cindy has come to the rescue. She truly deserves a medal. She is not only putting forward another social campaign, but this time has enlisted the assistance of my nieces and nephews and even her nephews!! That generation for sure has a much larger social media wing span than my contemporaries. The effort put forth thus far has been both heartwarming and humbling. I have a truly amazing family.

So, time will tell if someone comes forward. If you happen to read this or get a posting on your social media, please share (as opposed to just like). You never know who that one person will be who comes forward to give the gift of life. In Judaism, it’s called a Mitzvah.

I was going to include some very basic info many people wonder about in terms of being a live kidney donor but this entry is long enough. I will post under another entry if interested.