Got a Spare Kidney?

 Hello lovely readers –

It’s been a busy time – C and I are closing on our new house November 30^th and moving the following weekend. My term at the U is wrapping up and I’m finished with my licensure work. I feel more grounded than I have in a while, and have found the energy to reinvest in conversations about policing and refugees and politics. Dialysis has been smooth for the past two weeks, and seems to be continuing to be smooth, so access failure isn’t such a pressing concern. It is only a matter of weeks before the access needs more treatment, and it is only a matter of time (probably in the 12 month range) before it fails entirely.

Corinne and I listened to The Martian over a few car trips last year. The premise, that Mark Watney is stuck on Mars for months which turn to years, entirely alone, fending for his life, is incredibly engaging. A rescue mission would be dangerous and he worries about his colleagues and friends risking their lives to save his. This resonated with me. It is overwhelming to think about the sacrifices people have made for me by donating a part of themselves. It’s overwhelming to consider that people would consider being tested to donate. And it is overwhelming to think that to find someone to donate, I need to advertise for that kind of generosity.

I’m not sure how to write about this. I worry that these posts will shift from informative story-telling to a kind of soliciting story-telling. I wonder who I am to ask for such a thing. I worry that I am antagonizing people who have already been tested, or who want to donate and cannot. Yet I also imagine that many of you have thought about being tested and just haven’t for whatever reason, which is exactly where I would be, to be honest.

Asking for things in general is tough for me, and this is a big ask. But I’m weeks away from being eligible for a transplant and there is no donor in sight. I don’t know – how does anyone navigate this kind of thing? I want to say – please get tested. And I want to say – I’m sure someone will turn up and suddenly the wait will be over. I want to say – I feel great, dialysis is no trouble. And I want to say – I feel like my life is on hold until this is sorted out. That’s all true. Well I think I’ll leave it here. I wanted to embed this renewed called for donors in a more substantial post, but that isn’t really working. Please consider getting tested:  (Susanna @ 612-863-8886).

Thanks for reading.