I'm Not Crying, You're Crying

If only you knew how long I sat on that first blog post, wondering if I should share it, dealing with all the "what ifs" that might come of it.  I've always been a "worst case scenario" type of gal, and I've definitely gotten better with age, but it was a big deal for me to click "publish."  But within minutes, and until well past midnight, messages of love and support blew up my phone and facebook.  And as I alluded to in that first post, some were not surprising, but others were.  It's not that I think that people aren't good or that my friends don't care about me, but we all have busy lives, a lot going on (including me), and I know that it's easier to scroll on by than to stop and read, much less reach out.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I want to confess something. You know on facebook, how it tells you when it's someone's birthday and even makes it super easy to post on that person's wall?  I NEVER WISH THEM A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  It's not that I don't love my friends or care about birthdays, but it just always felt so false to me to wish someone a happy birthday because facebook was prompting me to.  I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but now, as I sit here this morning, I realize that this is just one example of the many ways I withhold too much from the people in my life. What a stupid way to live!  I don't want to make any grand pronouncements, and I still won't be sending cards (ugh, they're such a rip off!), but you can expect to see me post on your wall for your birthday from now on.  I bet you can't wait, lol.

How to help, part 2

Ok, so apparently what people really want to know what to do if they want to get tested, what my blood type is, etc., etc...  I didn't know you guys were gonna get on it so quickly, sheesh!

First, I don't know what a perfect match for me looks like yet, since I just had my appointment at Cedars for all of that testing.  I do however, know that Cedars does incompatible matches, and if someone wanted to donate to me, having a different blood type would not necessarily be an excluding factor.  And, as I mentioned last night, there is also the possibility of paired donation.

My understanding is that a living donor may start the interview process now, but their clinical work up will not begin until I am officially on the transplant list.  This means phone call interviews for initial screening, but no labs yet.  If this is something you are interested in checking out, here are the people you call:

If YOUR last name starts with A-K, you call Jessica Luga 310.423.8463
If YOUR last name starts with L-Z, you call Miguel Can 310.423.4718

When calling, just tell them that you want to see if you can be a donor for me, and they'll give you whatever information you need, and ask whatever it is they ask (i'm so helpful, lol).

Because of HIPPA laws, I am totally excluded from the process.  I will not know who calls unless they decide to tell me personally.  This way, if you were to call and decide against becoming a donor, I'd never know.

As far as what else I know about being a living donor, I do know that usually it's the recipients insurance that covers the associated costs, that there is additional financial assistance given to donors who are over 100 miles from the transplant center, and that I am less likely to be a bitch to you if you donate a kidney to me.

I also found this information in my paperwork:

You can also visit the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) website here: www.unos.org for more information about living donation.

Thank you for taking the time to read, taking the time to reach out to me, and taking the time to share.  

Love,

Lisa

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