Originally published on January 8, 2016 In my mind there has never been a doubt that if I'm a match I'll donate a kidney to Paul. But, I know that to many people this is a frightening and question-filled concept. I'll be honest with you, based on the information given to me at Paul's transplant evaluation yesterday, there is no real benefit to the donor, other than giving someone else the gift of a better quality of life and extending their life expectancy. Donors are screened very carefully, however many of the initial processes can be done at home and at local doctor's offices if you aren't close to UVA. The entire transplant team works together to make sure that if a living donor kidney is available it will get to Paul. There is no cost on your part to be screened, and even if you are a match you are under no obligation or contract to give your kidney to Paul. If you do donate a kidney you are not responsible for any of the costs related to screening or the surgery. Our goal right now is to get as many people as are interested to begin the screening process because it does take about 4 months. They can screen many potential donors at the same time and that way if I am not a match we may have someone else who is a match within the same time frame. If this interests you at all, if you'd like to donate a kidney to Paul please visit this link: UVA Living Kidney Donations and read the information provided. At the bottom of the page is a link to fill out a form if you would like to begin screening. There is a section at the bottom of the form that asks if there is anything else about your health you'd like to share. In this space you can indicate that you would like to be screened for donating to Paul McKoy (3/1/72). Paul's Living Donor Coordinator, Lisa Williams is a very sweet woman. She even talked me down from my explosive excitement at having a compatible blood type. She didn't discourage me but made it clear that there are several other steps before I can be considered a match. If you'd like to discuss screening or donating with her you can give her a call at 434-297-7790 and she'll be happy to answer your questions and tell you more about what to expect. Your information will not be shared with us, so unless you tell us you're being screened we won't know until someone is a match and agrees to take the next step. We know that over the past few months we've asked a lot from our friends and family. We're received monetary donations, medical supplies from our wishlist and a ton of support and love. Now we're asking for more. In the event that I am not a match, we are hoping some of our friends and family will be interested in being screened and possibly donating a kidney to Paul.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorPaul and Suzanne McKoy''s journey with kidney disease and Home PD. These blog posts have been pulled from the original "All for Paul" website and blog that we used to keep friends and family updated while we were going through this process prior to Paul's transplant on April, 13, 2017. ArchivesCategories |