I am incredibly grateful to have received two miracles. Receiving a kidney transplant at 19-years-old from a living kidney donor and then a liver transplant from a deceased donor at 35-years-old has been a rollercoaster ride from the hardest days of my life to the most joyful ones. Having the perspective of enduring the transplant process as a teenager and now as an adult has taught me so much in regards to life, love, being our own best advocate and knowing what we are fighting for.
I was 18 years old, with both kidneys removed and surviving on dialysis. We are fortunate to have a lifeline like dialysis while waiting for a new kidney. I was too sick to be placed on the transplant waiting list, so I needed a living donor to survive. Thankfully, Sally Robertson was a wonderful match and stepped forward to be my kidney donor. When you have a living donor, you have a bit more control of things as you can schedule your surgery. After almost a year in the hospital and dealing with complications from PKD since I was 10, my kidney transplant restored my health at the age of 19 and has gifted me with the past 17 years of life – it is overwhelmingly remarkable what I have been able to accomplish and experience thanks to the miracle of transplantation.
When I needed a lifesaving liver transplant in my 30s, it was a totally different scenario. There is no lifeline when you need a liver, like there is with the kidneys. I went through the transplant evaluation process and my hepatologist did not think I’d survive the wait time in CA. So, I got dual-listed and had to temporarily relocate to St. Louis, MO in order to get a liver transplant at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. I endured the exhausting transplant evaluation process twice and fully know and appreciate what it is like to wait to be deathly ill and wait for “the call.” I have so much empathy for all of the unknowns experienced surrounding transplant and what it is like to live in limbo, what the waiting zone feels like and what it is like to try and plan for “the call” when you have no idea when it will come. Also, the varying emotions that come when receiving an organ from a deceased donor.
I also understand the complications and challenges that come when being a transplant recipient. The gift of a transplant is not free. It comes with responsibilities and side effects, but we are alive thanks to the miracle of transplantation. It is important that we honor our gift and donor by taking the best care of ourselves and living our lives to the fullest.
I feel honored to be on the other side of transplant now twice and to not just be surviving, but now thriving! I continue to be in awe by the incredible transformation that receiving a transplant can make in not just the recipient’s life, but all of the other lives touched by that recipient.
Second and third chances in life are rare and I strive to make my donors proud through my actions and the light, joy, knowledge and hope I spread throughout this world. By taking the best care of my health, helping others, and living life with passion, positivity and purpose. I hope by learning more about my journey and the extraordinary impact that transplantation has had on my life that you will gain insight of how grateful recipients are and if you are not an organ and tissue donor that you will consider becoming one. There is no greater legacy you can leave than hope and joy for a stranger in need. It will be cherished and bring unconditional joy and gratitude to the recipient(s). If you are already a donor, thank you! Decisions like yours restore life, not only for the recipient, but for the family, friends, loved ones, and everyone that person touches. There is no greater gift than the gift of life!
Find out more about organ donation and register to be a donor at Donate Life America.