And now, a word from our Donor… Our LIVING ORGAN DONOR. Please read on for the story of how our G ended up being the recipient of the most generous and selfless donation from her living donor, Dan Armstead.
“Very few of you know this, but it’s time to tell my part of a story. Late last year, I decided to investigate being a live kidney donor. It has been something that I have been thinking about for a long time, but I had never been open about it. After hearing about a kid in my neighborhood needing a kidney (who has since received one and is doing great!), I was motivated to go and get checked out. As it turns out, I am a perfect candidate for kidney donation. I then decided to list myself on the registry as an anonymous donor. Truthfully, I had never planned on announcing it. This donation was just something I wanted to do, and I didn’t want it to be a big public ordeal.
Right about the time that I learned that I was an approved donor, a young lady that I know announced that she was in Stage 5 Renal Failure. She and her mom went public with the story, pleading for a kidney. Within minutes of the story going public, I saw it on Facebook. As I said, I know the family. I am Facebook friends with the mom. The young lady was on a soccer team with my daughter, and I had assisted that team as a coach.
I messaged the mom through Facebook and asked about her daughter’s blood type. It matched mine. I told her the story about my kidney donation plans, and that I had just become an approved donor. It was a very emotional conversation for both of us. I immediately called my donation advocate to inquire if I was a good match for this young lady. After a few weeks of further testing, it turned out that I was a perfect match.
Our surgery is scheduled for May 31st.
I am going public today to help raise awareness for live kidney donation. Our bodies only need one kidney. A donation could save the life of someone even if you do not know them. Please don’t wait. It costs you nothing to be evaluated, and you are not under any obligation to donate until you are ready.
I appreciate you for reading this. I know it was a long post, but those of you that know me understand that I can be quite wordy.” 😊 -Dan