Why

Or as I prefer to think of it, simply, why not.

To actually begin as close to the beginning as possible, I've always been a donor. Of sorts. I've given blood ... sporadically I admit. I've had my license marking me as a possible donor from day one. I've been listed on the bone marrow registry for about 4 years now. So the idea of giving up pieces and parts ain't a new idea to me, or to my family. They know and hopefully remember when the time comes that I'd rather be "useful" than just a pretty body in a box !

So why this extreme and why now? While I've know others who have had kidney problems, V is the first person I've known who was geographically close by. That sort of has the effect of making it more "in your face" if you will. The 2 others I've known were thousands of miles away. So it made any thought of donating very difficult and time consuming to say nothing of expensive because of traveling.

No one asked me if I would. But simply in the conversation, it came out that she'd gone straight to the top of the list for transplant. That tells you how bad her health is now. Usually people can spend a lot of time...gradually getting worse, being watched etc. Not in this case. Her kidneys are simply shutting down, throwing in the towel.

Her illness seems to be inherited so her own kids wouldn't be a good idea. They may be next.

I on the other hand, have no kidney issues, nor any other real health issues. I am of a great age to do this. My kiddies are grown, gone, 2/3rds married! No one "needs" me to mommy them or anything else.

So I simply said to her hubby that I'd be willing to be tested. To say it shocked him is putting it politely. But like I said at the beginning, why not. For myself I can't think of a good enough reason not to do this. Sure it'll hurt. Surgery usually does..but these things pass. Yeah it's a bit of a pain having to go back and forth to the hospital....taking blood (22 vials in one sitting a week ago!) Urine specimens, or as I prefer to think of them, product samples. But really, these are all inconveniences... not real hurdles or difficulties. They pass. But with out a kidney, so too could V. All because I didn't "feel" like being inconvenienced...I think not.

So I guess in a nutshell that's my thought process. It fit's my life "philosophy"...what's the worst that could happen if you do this!! And as long as I'm ok with the answer to that question at that moment...I say Do It!