I was a non-directed donor and I initially became interested after watching a movie about organ trafficking. The statistics of people waiting for kidneys broke my heart. After several months of research, I took the next step toward donation and got in contact with the National Kidney Registry. After lots of testing and discussion with my PCP and donor advocates, I was sent to Methodist University Hospital for further testing. Lots of poking and prodding later, I was sent in for a psych evaluation, and eventually was cleared to become a donor.  

All along the way, I prayed that if this wasn’t the right decision, something would happen to indicate that. The process and everything went so smoothly and over the span of several months, everything kept pointing to this being the right decision.  

I became a non-directed donor on April 4th, 2017. I was matched with a 32-year-old woman, who (according to my medical team and advocate) was “very sick but not sick enough to be at the top of the list”. The kidney chain from this donation ended up being six people long, and ended with an 11-year-old receiving a life-saving kidney. Wow!! Honored is an understatement.  

Everything post-op went smoothly as well and eight weeks later, I was easing back into my yoga practice. It still is, by far, the most incredible experience of my life and I felt/feel such honor in getting to participate in such an awesome adventure!  

Now four years out, I still have incredible health and the only evidence of the transplant is this awesome scar. My donation hasn’t hindered any activities and, if anything, it just propelled my life and inspired me to want to do more for myself and others.