I was thinking today about when the transplant doctor was asking for my medical history, and he asked me “What sorts of health problems have you faced in your life?” And I paused, and thought, and then I said, “None!” I do have a thyroid deficiency and I take a pill every day for that, but I’ve had no ill effects from that. I never even had any symptoms, it was just something my family doctor picked up in a regular blood test.
I have led a remarkably healthy life. Fifty years and I’ve never been in the hospital (except to have my tonsils out as a kid, and to give birth), never broken anything, never injured myself, never been seriously sick. What an amazing gift that has been. I don’t know if I have been thankful enough for that. Certainly when my husband got cancer three years ago, I thought a lot about his health, and about life in general, and the importance of health.
The really neat thing is that here I have gotten this great gift of good health, and I am being given a way to share that with someone else. I can give my healthy kidney to someone and give them a chance to be healthy, my healthy kidney in their body making them healthy. It really is mind-bogglingly neat!
And the only reason this can happen is because there is a whole team of professionals who have studied and worked for years so they know how to do this safely and effectively. When we work together, me giving a piece my body, them giving their skills and expertise, we can do this. This is just about the neatest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t wait!