ACT NOW!
ACT NOW!
ACT NOW!
Now that you have information about live kidney donation and transplant, share your story!
Starting the Conversation
For a patient considering living door transplant as an option:
- Gather information.Find out as much as you can about your condition, options available to you, and the pros and cons of each option. It may be helpful to look at blogs and other material online to see what others say about managing their kidney disease. You can also contact the transplant center to find additional resources for information.
- Work past the fear of telling someone of your need for a transplant.It is important that the other person understands that a kidney transplant is a life-changing need that will dramatically improve your quality of life.
- Tell as many people as you can of your need. By telling a large number of people, you significantly increase your chances of finding someone both willing and able to donate a kidney.
- Encourage a potential donor to have an open and honest conversation. Let him/her know what you are going through, present all the information that you have, and encourage the potential donor to lay out every concern she/he may have about donating. By addressing concerns upfront, you can help the person make an informed decision.
- If questions or concerns remain, point the potential donor to other sources of information. However, do not pressure the person as it is a very personal decision, and you do not want her/him to feel obligated to donate.
- If interested, provide contact information for your local transplant center.
Sample Letter
Having trouble starting the conversation? Here is a template to help you tell your story!
Dear Friends,
Some of you may know that I have kidney disease. Over time, my kidney disease has gotten worse causing my kidneys not to work well enough to keep me alive. This is what I am facing now, and my treatment options are limited to dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant.
Getting regular dialysis treatments, usually three times a week for four hours at a time, will help my kidneys do their job and keep me alive, but a transplant would offer me more freedom and the ability to live a longer, healthier, more normal life. A transplant would also give me more time to do the fun things I enjoy most, like spending time with my family and friends.
However, finding a kidney for a transplant is not easy. Just ask the 100,000+ people on the waiting list for a deceased donor kidney like me. Time is not on our side. Some wait for years; many die while waiting. The average wait time is five years or more for a kidney from a deceased donor. However, there is another option: receiving a kidney from a living donor.
Asking a family member or a friend to consider donating a kidney to me is difficult, but it greatly improves my chances of getting a transplant. A living kidney donation typically lasts longer and has better function. You might not know a lot about living donation – I know I didn’t before kidney disease affected my life. Understandably, some people are afraid about the surgery and what living with one kidney will mean for them. Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:
- You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life.
- Most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions.
- The recuperation period is usually fairly quick, generally two weeks.
- The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by my insurance. The hospital can give you
extensive information on this. - You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out for YOUR best interests.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If donating a kidney to me is something you would like to consider, I would be happy to tell you more about my story and explore the process of determining if you are a match for me. You can also contact my transplant center directly at __________________.
However, I know living donation may not be right for everyone — but you can still help! Consider being an organ donor after death and also, help me by sharing my story with everyone you know. At the very least I want to bring awareness to kidney disease and living donation. I am hopeful my efforts will help me receive a kidney sooner and encourage others to consider helping the many people on the wait list.
Thank you,
____________________
Testimonial
Raleigh Callaway is a husband, father of 3, and 24-year veteran investigator for the city of Greensboro Police Department who has a diagnosis of end-stage renal disease. With the support of his wife (Kristi) and family, he has already taken steps to position himself to receive a live donor kidney transplant, including meeting with a financial coordinator, transplant coordinator, nutritionist, and social worker, and expects to be placed on the transplant list in a few months.
In the meantime, Raleigh and his family turned to social media to share their story with others who may be willing to serve as living donors. Kristi received help taking a family photo, and then shared the photos of their family with their daughters holding a sign that said, “Our daddy needs a kidney” on Facebook.
The Facebook post reads: “Since the age of 34, he has fought like a warrior against diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. At the age of 49, despite all that he’s done to break the cycle, genetics have reared their ugly head and taken over his body, nearly completely.”
Since posting their story to Facebook, Raleigh received his kidney just ten weeks after posting his family photo and helps others find matches via facebook.
