Even though I never imagined being an organ donor until passing away, I am one now. People can survive with just one healthy kidney, so someone with two healthy kidneys may choose to donate one. This is called a living donor transplant. I am a living donor. Being an athlete since the age of 4, I … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Debbie!
**Heads up - there are some pictures of real kidneys in here. If you're super squeamish please skip this altogether, or be prepared to scroll real fast past those.** Dear Soon-to-be kidney donor, First off, congratulations on pursuing one of the kindest acts a person can ever do - donating a kidney! Secondly, I am … Continue reading Dear Soon-to-be Kidney Donor
Being a healthy, active woman in my 50s, I knew after seeing my friend’s story about needing a kidney for her daughter several times that I needed to throw my name into the hat and at least see if I was a match. It was a long journey but I indeed was a directly compatible blood match … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Natalie!
My name is Laura Saros. I live with my husband and three girls about 45 miles outside of Chicago and recently celebrated 7 years post-donation. I’m a homeschooling mama, special education teacher, yogi, and avid reader. The question I get asked most often when people learn that I am a living kidney donor is “Why … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Laura!
I believe there is a reason and timing for all things and, for me, being able to make a non-directed kidney donation is just one of those amazing moments. July 23, 2020 - A day that was planned for me since before I was born, I just wasn’t aware of it until many years later. My story is rather fast-paced in regard to the organ donation process. … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Jason!
Right Kidney For The Trail On a special day, 8 February 2020, I ran my first serious run since donating my left kidney on 16 October 2019 – just 16.5 weeks later. At 73 years old, a half marathon trail run (my first trail run) on one kidney is a significant achievement. I ran the Rotorua Ultra Half, one of the more picturesque trail runs in our country, renown for … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Tom!
My name is Shannon and I am a kidney donor athlete! My journey to being an athlete and my journey to being a kidney donor started separately but on February 20, 2017, they intersected. That was the day I read on Facebook about a little girl needing a kidney. Within minutes of reading the post, I clicked … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Shannon!
Read Part One of Mark's Story here! I returned home from my surgery after one night in the hospital. With my surgery scheduled at 6:30 in the morning, I had a complete day to start my recovery. By 5pm on the day of surgery, the staff had me up and walking with the help of … Continue reading Update from Kidney Donor Athlete, Mark!
I never knew how much the “Share Your Spare” panel I attended on May 2019 at the university where I work would change my life. I had two acquaintances who had previously done direct kidney donations, which got me curious, but it wasn’t until I listened to the stories of the donors and recipients on the panel that really lit something inside … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Maranda!
Come Back Ken: My road to donation may have started a little different than most but we will get there. My journey started back in May 2018 while running the Buffalo marathon. Up until this point, I was always a weekend warrior and considered myself to be a somewhat decent athlete playing lacrosse and hockey … Continue reading Meet Kidney Donor Athlete, Ken!
