On January 23rd, we had the honor to be revisited by Remonia Chapman from Gift of Life Michigan. We spoke to Remonia a while back about the importance of donating our organs and tissues when we leave this earth or those organs or part of organs that we can safely donate while still here.
This time Remonia brought a two-time kidney recipient to join her in the discussion of donating organs, particularly kidneys (every healthy person has two kidneys…one plus a spare). We learned that Michigan has moved from 45th place up to 38th in people signing up to donate organs and tissues. This is mainly in part to getting the word out there and asking those that aren’t already an organ donor to sign up. To become a donor is really a simple process. Just click here and fill out the form (all you need is your driver’s license or state ID card number, your name as it appears on your ID and your date of birth). You will then receive a red heart sticker in the mail (in about 10 days), which you place on your ID. Then when you go to renew your license it will automatically be embedded on your new license. There are so many people (3,000 average in Michigan) that are just waiting to receive a donation of an organ that it just makes sense to sign up. One person can help save up to 50 people by donating your organs and tissues. There are people all around the country in need of organs just waiting for the gift of life (waiting to live, to have a life again).
Richard, our kidney recipient, told us his story about receiving two kidneys. Richard was one who had never spent any time in a hospital but in 2002, at the age of 35, he started feeling ill. He made an appointment to see his doctor but before that appointment happened something was wrong and Richard ended up in the hospital. He came to find out that he had stage 4 chronic kidney disease and started dialysis the very next day. There were signs but they had been ignored and now Richard had to make some decisions. He chose to not let it get him down and live his life to the fullest. Richard went through two different kinds of dialysis while he was on the donor/transplant list for seven years. Three days after receiving his kidney, it had to be removed because Richard became violently ill. Luckily for Richard, about nine months later, he received another kidney transplant and has been feeling healthy for almost a year and a half.
If you want to listen to the full interview you can do that by clicking here.
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