When I launched this website in early 2019, my goal was simple: to raise awareness of living donation by sharing my story of donating to my son, along with timely posts and practical resources to help donors and would-be donors–and anyone interested in supporting people with chronic kidney disease. I threw in a dose of self-deprecating humor because I’ve seen how well it helps information go down.

I had no sense of how many people I could reach. The website’s following has certainly grown but continues to be a modest audience. And if I don’t spread the word on social media about each new post, far fewer people see it (after all, if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to tweet about it, how in the world does anyone know it fell?).

So, I’m excited, honored (and downright tickled) to announce that the National Foundation for Transplants discovered my blog and wants to amplify the sound of the falling trees–I mean, blog posts!

NFT has asked me to be a guest contributor and run one of my posts once a month on its site. Partnering with such a large, respected organization to spread the word about the importance of living donation–all kinds–is a fantastic opportunity.

An individual donor advocate–particularly a nontech-savvy one like me–can’t hope to make much of an impact alone. Certainly, for government-related aims, having a major, moneyed organization behind you is essential. Being an active kidney advocate for the National Kidney Foundation, and to a lesser extent, a UNOS Ambassador, has been extremely gratifying.

But I’ve also wanted to reach out personally to potential donors because I believe that my story is more relatable than most: I donated to my son, not a stranger; our family had no history of kidney disease; and, maybe this most of all, I’m not an adventurous person, I’m a wimp (I faint at flu shots). And, for goodness sake, I’m no saint or heroine. Most anyone in my situation would have done the same if they could.

I hope that NFT can help me share my perspective and my insights with a wider audience. When you join forces with dedicated, like-minded people and organizations, anything’s possible. Thank you, NFT, for helping this donor advocate amplify her passionate but quiet voice.

For related posts and information on my new book, The Insider’s Guide to Living Kidney Donation, be sure to explore the rest of my website.