When someone said yes, allowing their loved one’s organs to be donated, it did not mean I was going to survive, no it meant I was going to live again.
Today I celebrate my re-birth (transplant day) but I am also thinking about those waiting for a transplant.
Living on dialysis is something I did, I had no choice. I lived doing peritoneal dialysis until I got an infection and nearly died. I did four exchanges a day, even when I went to work, every day, even Christmas. Four times daily, and each and every time I hated it, but it gave me another day to hope for the call.
Then I did hemodialysis three times a week for 5 hours, better but worse because I had to be so careful about fluid intake.
July 6, 1987 – I got the call, they had a kidney for me. Hopeful, excited, nervous I arrived at the hospital. They shaved me chest to knees, and painted me with something to help prevent infection during surgery. Midnight they wheeled me into the operating room, a team all masked waiting for my arrival. I prayed with my surgeon for success.
My life was all possible because someone took 2 minutes one day to become an organ donor. Two minutes to give me and likely others as well more than survival, a chance at living again.
The donor did give more to me than survival. Freedom from dialysis, energy, freedom from depression, freedom from anxiety, ability to enjoy my family, ability to travel, and so much more.
Every day in Canada 14, yes 14 people get the news that their kidneys are failing and they need to go on dialysis. Those people are added to others, who are waiting, hoping to live to be a recipient. Years waiting on dialysis, sometimes dying while waiting.
Please, please don’t wait until one of your loved ones are on a list to become an organ donor, or even worse until you are on one.
The way the odds are, you are more likely to need an organ than to donate one. Would you want your loved one’s on a list, waiting for years?
Help someone else live again, stop their survival and give them a life.
Less than two minutes – it’s the right thing to do – register now to be an organ donor, and tell your family. If you live in BC, do it by clicking here.
Life and Random Thinking 
We are organ donors. I wish Australia would take the step done by some Scandinavian countries and automatically make all residents organ donors unless they ask to opt out.
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I totally agree with you!
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Congratulations on your anniversary! Organ donation is such a wonderful part of this new world we live in. I donated my mum’s corneas (I waited until she was dead… :)) and they were the only organ they could harvest since she had septicemia. It was amazing to know that her corneas live on, giving someone sight.
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Thank you! I’m sure she’s glad you waited.
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I think so too… 🙂
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Congratulations David on your anniversary! So glad you are here and reminding us how important organ donation is. Take care, be happy my friend! 🙂
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Congratulations on your anniversary day. I’m so glad you wrote this post as a first person reminder on how important it is to be an organ donor.
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Such a heartwrenching and inspiring post, thank you for sharing your story and hopefully it will move others to be a donor. I have been on a medical journey, not the same as yours, but once you get sick you realize how connected we each are and how we need to help each other as we can, I became a donor, I hope to help someone some day as they helped you 🙂
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Congratulations on both your anniversary and your life!
My close family member didn’t have such a helpful experience and sadly the St Vincent’s team attitudes leave a lot to be desired …
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My first transplant in 1986 was a failure because of the hospital team my family thinks, a new surgery director and proactive followup in 1987 made the difference. Thank you for sharing.
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Humbleness seems paramount, once they buy into the god-complex they loose connection with both patients and potential donors! Glad you followed thru successfully.
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I’m glad you are doing so well now. I’m a donor and highly appreciate your words. ❤
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Reblogged this on Life and Random Thinking and commented:
I love a friend’s tshirt, it reads ” Of course I’m an organ donor – Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?
Kidney failure is not rare, and neither is dying while waiting for a transplant unfortunately.
Please be an organ donor and sign up today or even investigate being a live donor. Live donors face limited risk and are more common every day and save a life.
Thanks for reading.
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Thats a great article you wrote Dave. You are a very talented writer. It is a great pre-thankyou for those people to have taken those couple minutes to sighn up to donate. Thanks for the incouragement for me to do more. I am Greatful your alive and to being a part of my Life. Jeff
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Kind words and good encouragement! Muchos gracias senor
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Oh wow! What a testimony! All Glory to God for saving your life! God bless and thanks for sharing! Xx 🙂
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I am blessed, thank you for clearly understanding exactly how much
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Praise the Lord always!
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