Willingness to Repeat Donation
Everyone who was interviewed was enthusiastic about kidney donation. Most had encouraging messages to people who may be thinking about donating. Most also said they would do it again, had no regrets, or were happy about their decisions, even if they experienced severe pain or other challenges. Rebecca emphasized that she would still donate her kidney, even if she knew ahead of time that she would lose her sister (the recipient) 17 months after the transplant.
Philip encouraged others to donate their kidney.
Philip encouraged others to donate their kidney.
If more people donated, then less people would be on dialysis, and we won't have- we wouldn’t be out there, you know, advertising that everyone needs to be donating, and we would be able to take care of a lot of chronic health issues. And so I think if you look at it from that standpoint, we should be doing nice things for each other anyways, but then it does-it does translate into bigger things, you know, politically and nationally in terms of healthcare, which is a big topic anyways. So that would be my-- my encouragement is start looking, and if you find out that it's not for you, that's okay. But at least you might have encouraged someone else to start looking as well, and it might be for them.
Raye said she would’ve given her kidney to a stranger if her daughter didn’t need one.
Raye said she would’ve given her kidney to a stranger if her daughter didn’t need one.
Oh, gosh. Do it. Just do it…I never knew any of this world. I never knew anything about this. And if I would have not had a sick daughter, and I would have heard somebody's story, like mine, somebody that needed a kidney and they didn't have any options, I would have donated my kidney to a stranger. I mean, it's just the best feeling…I mean, it's just a simple little surgery. You're down for a couple of weeks, and somebody else gets to live. And they don't have to live tied to machines, sucking their blood out, and just sitting there. If you've ever been to a dialysis place or seen a dialysis patient, it would make you want to give your kidney right then and there. And that's what made me do it.
Steve said his only regret is that he can’t give another kidney.
Steve said his only regret is that he can’t give another kidney.
And since, I've- I’ve been watching the-the internet, and I've seen a whole bunch of stories like mine where people have stepped up, not necessarily for a family member, you know. Some-some teacher donated a kidney to a-a student's mother, you know. Those-those stories make me smile because it's nice to see that people are out there willing to go through the-the process. And it's a pretty horrendous process of donating a kidney. And, you know, my only regrets at this point is I can't join it- I can’t join any of those groups. I don't have another one to give.
Cecilia described that even though the pain was awful, she would do it all over again as it was a miracle to give life.
Cecilia described that even though the pain was awful, she would do it all over again as it was a miracle to give life.
I mean, again, the-the pain after was…awful. It was awful. But the- the change in her health and seeing her just live her life, you know, at the age that she's at, she's a young college student, and I’m just, I-I have no doubt in my mind that I would do it all over again if I could. All over again. It's just there-there isn't enough words to explain the gift that donating a kidney gives somebody. There just, there isn't. There's no way to really explain that in words. I'm super blessed that I have the ability to see it firsthand and to talk to her about it. And not-not many people get that. But even if you can- even if, even if you can't see that transformation firsthand, if anything, I hope that this helps people know that it-it's amazing. It is amazing what you can do for someone whose- whose health is declining. It is just- It's a miracle. It really is. And as far as my health after the surgery, I have no complaints.