Name: Terry
Location: Colorado
Donation date: November, 2024
Age at donation: 58
Categories of exercise before donation: Hockey, hiking, cycling, running
What was your activity level like before donation?
Moderate to high activity levels. I played hockey every week and also hiked/ran with some regularity.
How would you describe your recovery post-donation?
My recovery was as smooth as I ever could have hoped for. The initial few weeks were uncomfortable, but never unbearable. Then after a few weeks I became more active. Then within 2 months or so I was back to my previous self & getting stronger every day!
Describe your journey back to fitness after recovering.
After the initial 2 months or so I began increasing my level of activity and returned to my hockey team shortly thereafter. I now am active as I was prior to surgery, and have a very active life!
Were there unexpected hurdles along the way?
Honestly there weren’t any hurdles for me. My experience was the best case scenario.
Do you feel different now than when you did pre-surgery?
Definitely! I have a greater sense of self awareness and purpose. I carry a confidence even greater than I had before donation. Physically I don’t feel as anything has changed at all, but mentally and spiritually I feel like I’ve made a real difference in the world.
Do you take precautions now that you didn’t before?
Certainly! I continue to play hockey with 1 kidney. While I’m in a no contact league there are still unfortunate things that can easily happen. Prior to returning I added additional kidney protection to my pads to give me an additional level of protection from random accidents.
What advice would you give someone considering donating?
Ask tons of questions! You are considering something that can save a life, but yours is equally precious. Make sure that you know everything about the procedure, it’s safeguards, the recovery and the long term impacts from only having 1 kidney. I only became truly comfortable with what I was going to do once I had answers to all these questions.
What were your fears before donating?
My fears were that for unforeseen event would happen during my surgery that would cause me harm or even death. I knew academically that the likelihood of this was extremely small, but it’s never zero.
Looking back, how do you feel about those fears now?
I feel they were warranted, but counterbalanced with the rigor of the testing prior to donation. I was amazed at how thorough the evaluation was on my health before even considering me for the surgery. I was constantly told that they only will let someone donate if they are the “healthiest of the healthy” – and it showed!
Tell us anything else you’d like included in your submission!
I feel honored and humbled for the opportunity to donate. I’ve always registered as an organ donor upon death, but when I had the chance to be a living donor I felt humbled to be able to help. In the months leading up to donation I reflected a LOT about what it means to donate a part of yourself to extend and improve someone else’s life and came to peace with how and why I was going to do it. I would recommend that anyone who is healthy and has the heart to donate consider it as it has changed my life for the better!
