TRUE STORY:
Once upon a time there was a woman who lived in Perth, Western Australia. This woman had chronic kidney disease and was waiting on the national donor register for a kidney. But after years and years of waiting her health was deteriorating and things were looking a bit grim. So the woman decided to take action and be proactive in saving her own life.
The woman from Perth placed an advertisement in a Western Australian newspaper – “Kidney Wanted”
The woman was pleasantly surprised by the response. She received over 100 letters offering her kidneys. Out of the 100 offers she was able to find a match. A young man gave her a kidney and saved her life.
They had a photo together printed in the Western Australian newspaper after they both recovered from surgery.
The END.
I love this story. I love it because a young woman was tired of the situation she was in and against all odds she empowered herself to do something about it and make change happen. I also love it because it was before social media so she had to take an advert out in the newspaper. I wonder which section she put it in?
Even though I love this story it was told to me today as a bit of a warning. My specialist explained that despite the story having a happy ending it wasn’t all smooth sailing. After the woman placed the advert she shared it with her doctors and nurses at her dialysis clinic and the response was outrage. This was not how organs are donated. They come from a friend, partner or family member. If you don’t have anyone you know that can donate then you do your treatment and go on the national donor list. And you wait. You wait and you hope that a kidney comes your way before its too late and you die. That’s how its done.
Why? Why couldn’t this woman go out and try and save her own life? Why did she have to sit, wait and risk dying? Because of fear. The medical world are fearful that the person willing to donate their organ to a stranger has unethical drivers behind their gift of life. That this generous good Samaritan is really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There is concern that somehow they will hold it over the recipient of the kidney and ask for money or a new car. That somewhere, somehow money or gifts will change hands and that breaches laws and ethical medical behaviour.
The woman who placed the advert in the paper is alive today because of her own actions. She has moved on and is enjoying life. The medical world however hasn’t moved on and apparently I should be prepared for some negativity from the medical arena on my social media approach to finding myself a kidney.
I totally understand the concern and I did a lot of thinking before I put myself out there on Facebook. I thought about how bizarre it was to ask people around the world to consider giving me a kidney. I thought about how I would deal with the responses and also how I would deal with no responses. I weighed up all my options and I decided that I ultimately had nothing to lose. When death is an option I think most people in my shoes would give anything a go.
So yes I have launched a social media campaign in my quest to find myself a kidney. And yes it is unconventional and risky. But dying is not an option I’m willing to consider.
If nothing else I am enjoying connecting with people. New connections and old connections, the past few days have lifted my spirits and has given me hope. Hope that I will find a kidney from a true good Samaritan – my kidney hero.