Here we are – solidly into the gift-giving season. So during the Thanksgiving episode of Fried On Business I decided to interview a couple of people about giving the most precious gift of all – the gift of life.
One person – AJ Gindi of the Renewal organization – has given it already. The other – my wife, Vivian – is desperately in need of it.
Gindi, community advocate for Renewal, helps donors and recipients through the process of a kidney transplant. But, ironically, his story starts with taking a test to become a bone marrow donor.
He passed the test and was matched to a recipient. But two weeks before the procedure was to take place, the recipient got sick and was not able to proceed.
Two months after that, he got a call from Renewal. They had a match for one of his kidneys, and they asked about his interest in donating.
“I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ I could save somebody’s life. I’d only get one chance in a lifetime to do that. I was very excited about it, and my wife was very excited about it,” he said.
Gindi did not meet the recipient or his family until that morning, but it was a day he will never forget.
“I cannot tell you the joy and jubilation that family showed us,” he said.
Gindi said there was some post-surgery pain, of course, but it can’t measure up to the satisfaction that comes with saving a life.
“If you speak to any kidney donor, they all regret one thing – that they can’t do it again,” he said.
People are fearful about kidney donation for several reasons, Gindi said. For instance:
– They don’t understand that you need only 25 percent of one kidney in order to function in life, he said.
– They also fear that if they have problems with their remaining kidney, they’ll be in jeopardy. Not true, Gindi said. In that event, the donor moves to the top of the national recipient list.
– They also don’t understand that kidney disease affects both kidneys. If one goes, they both go, he said.
Donors don’t need to be a perfect match with the recipient, Gindi said. Through a swap program, one donation can save several lives by starting a daisy chain of matching with other people.
Only 30% of willing donors pass the physical tests and are allowed to actually donate, Gindi said, and Renewal also requires a psychological test. Basically, they try to talk you out of it. They want to make sure the desire to donate is genuine.
For those suffering from end-stage renal disease, there is hope, Gindi said. Renewal has had some 400 successful transplants so far. Sufferers simply must work to maintain their health and their optimism.
“Our motto is, ‘You don’t give up on us, and we won’t give up on you.'”
Which brings us to Vivian, who is entering her third year of dialysis. She agreed to be interviewed while she was in the middle of the procedure. I hope it communicated some of the reality of the situation.
Vivian said she starts her day by focusing not on the dialysis but on her blessings – including her home and her husband.
When she arrives at the center and steps into the machine, the staff inserts a 13-inch needle into a surgical port, and the 4-hour process begins.
The machine recycles her blood at a temperature of 39 degrees, removing the waste liquid that the kidneys would normally process. The cold helps to keep her blood pressure up where it should be.
“When I get out of here, I get depleted. You’re run down, but I don’t think. I still have to do what I have to do to help my Mom and my husband,” she said.
Vivian’s father passed away in June. Distraught, her mother suffered a stroke in August. She has been recovering, but it’s a very long process.
Vivian said she does what she can to alleviate the stress of dialysis. A well-timed sip of water or a piece of ice can go a long way toward bringing some comfort. As does keeping up a conversation with the technicians.
“There is no way I can get depressed. I can get emotional, but I can’t really let myself get depressed,” she said.
A former model, Vivian’s kidney failure came as a result of diuretic and laxative abuse. Now she is determined to be the change she wants to see in the world. She plans to share her story with young people, girls in particular, letting them know that the quest for beauty should never push them toward abusing their bodies.
Even as she struggles, Vivian said she is thankful for all of the people that make her life worth living.
Please take the time to listen to our conversation, and then consider giving the gift of life through living kidney donation.
Click here to listen to the full interview with AJ Gindi of Renewal.
