Tag: IgA nephropathy

Power Player- Carol

May 7, 2018

….I’ve always been a wimp: I faint at flu shots, IVs, blood tests. And yet, in June 2006, I donated a kidney to my son, Paul. The reason is simple: his kidneys were failing and I was the only willing one who could. Wimp or not, of course, I’d do it.

He was in his early 20s when he developed ESRD [end stage renal disease]. He’d been diagnosed with IgA nephropathy when he was in college, following a lingering strep infection—not uncommon. Yeah, no hereditary disease, no diabetes or high blood pressure. He wasn’t obese. He just had rotten luck. So, in other words, what happened to Paul—and to our family—could happen to anyone.

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5 Truths about Becoming a Living Donor

This is from my original 2017 post on the National Kidney Foundation website.
 
…Throughout the donor testing—blood draws, X-rays, a stress cardiogram, CT angiography, lung function test, and more—the nurse coordinator was just a phone call away. She offered gentle encouragement, useful tips (like lidocaine to numb my arm for blood draws), and, thankfully, a sense of humor.  
 
After each test I’d call her nervously to see if I’d passed. How would I really feel if I were disqualified? Would I secretly be relieved? To my surprise, I realized I’d be crushed.
 
So when the psychologist asked if I was sure I wanted to do this, I laughed. “Trust me,” I said. “You can skip to the next question.”

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