kidney transplant

,

wanted dead or alive (kidney)

,

When met with people in awe that I was able to donate a kidney to Robert, I have joked on more than one occasion that instead of the popular pickup line of the 1970s, “Hey Girl, what’s your sign?” Robert’s was “Hey Girl, what’s your blood type?”— implying that our match wasn’t entirely random, that Robert only dated women who were potential donors.

,

biased research

,

I am a woman of my word. At least I try to be. Ten years ago, when I said to Robert, my boyfriend at the time, “We should try to see if I can give you a kidney,” as we sat in a clinic exam room for his transplant evaluation appointment, I wasn’t just talking.

, , ,

180

, , ,

Mr. R wheeled Mr. J into the exam room 90 minutes late. Since patients often wait an hour or more to see us here in the county clinics, it was not an issue for me. But there was an air about Mr. R that let me know I was in for a special encounter.