The Greatest Gift You Can Give

Whoa!

Two posts in one day. I don't know if you can keep up with this. But, hey, I felt it was important to share some information but I need to provide a little backstory first and explain why this has caught my attention.

Many of you know that I'm working on a novel. Have been for the past year. It's been through some hiccups, but I've managed to overcome the obstacles and am now on a pretty straightforward path to completion. It will still take awhile, but at least it's on track. The theme that seems to have presented itself, made its way up off the page if you will, is that of blood. Blood in terms of life, in terms of ancestry. All elements of blood. Oh and sex. There's gotta be some sex right?

Without giving away too much, one of the characters is in end-stage renal failure. In normal lingo, kidney failure. So of course I have had to research kidney disease, how it happens, treatments, etc. After much research, I was saddened to discover just how many people are suffering from kidney disease and besides liver transplants, kidney transplants are the only transplants that can be given by a live donor.

Most live donations have been done by family members. But there are many cases where a family member may not be an appropriate match and there are not enough non-familial live donors out there. Don't worry, I am not asking you all to give up a kidney because that is a serious decision to be made and it can't be taken lightly. No that's not the point here.

The point is, a friend of mine. Someone that I lost touch with for awhile though I still followed her on Facebook, has actually made the decision to be a live kidney donor. Of course, it's still dependant on whether or not she passes all the tests. But to even consider such a thing, whether or not she is a suitable candidate, is amazing. She hates the word "selfless" but really it is. Nothing will ever top giving the gift of life to someone that you don't know.

So I am pointing you in her direction. Follow Lauren's story from the decision, through the testing and maybe through to the donation. To Make A Choice

You can never have too much support when making a difficult decision. Let's show her just how much we do care about what she's doing.