Ten years have gone by since Lauren Herschel became Calgary’s first anonymous living kidney donor. Being a living donor, she told Jill Croteau of Global News, has “exponentially changed my life in ways I didn’t think. I am far more confident. It’s deepened my empathy and made me a person to try things out of my comfort zone.” . . . Looking back at it, Herschel added: “It’s easier than you think. I was back to work in just under two weeks. It was such a small amount of time to do something that will give someone else years and years of a higher quality of life. It’s an easy trade-off.” . . . Her decision to donate a kidney also resulted in changes to the transplant system there. Amazing! . . . Her story, and it’s terrific, is right here. . . . If you are on Twitter, find the thread that she wrote and give it a read. It’s terrific, too.
Dorothy, my wife of almost 49 years, appeared on Radio NL, a Kamloops station, one day last week to talk about all things kidney-related. She had a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, 2013, so is able to share some of her experiences. Mostly, she wants to get across to potential live donors that there is a way to become a living kidney donor without being a perfect blood match for a specific recipient. . . . If you would care to listen that interview, conducted by longtime Kamloops media maven Larry Read, is right here.
Here’s a story for you. . . . Mylaen and Jim Merthe of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., divorced about 20 years ago. On Nov. 22, Jim got married for a second time, to Debby Neal-Strickland. . . . On Nov. 24, Debby was admitted to hospital where she donated a kidney to her new husband’s ex-wife. . . . Yes, Debby, 56, gave up a kidney to Mylaen, who is 59 and had long battled kidney disease. . . . What this all meant is that Mylaen was able to hold her second grandson when he was born in March. . . . Kelli Kennedy of The Associated Press has the complete story right here.
A tweet from a member of the Regina Police Service Traffic Safety Unit . . .
Sharon Kidwell of Prince George can’t believe the freedoms she has in her life now that she has recovered from a kidney transplant. . . . “I still can’t believe I can do things spontaneously,” she told Christine Dalgleish of the Prince George Citizen. “Before this, my whole life was planned around dialysis — every day was planned. I would suddenly have to leave people’s house at a certain time because I had eight to nine hours of dialysis to do in the evenings. So I had to be hooked up early enough so I could get up early enough to do what I needed to do. Now I can actually start a movie at 9 at night.” . . . After more than three years on dialysis, Kidwell had a transplant in November. . . . Her story is right here.
A whole lot of thank yous to RE/MAX of Western Canada, the WHL and its teams for the three years in which they participated in the Suits Up Campaign. . . . Know that you really have made a difference. . . .
Here’s a transplant story that will brighten your day . . .
If you are interested in being a living kidney donor, more information is available here:
Living Kidney Donor Program
St. Paul’s Hospital
6A Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-9027
Toll free: 1-877-922-9822
Fax: 604-806-9873
Email: donornurse@providencehealth.bc.ca
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Vancouver General Hospital Living Donor Program – Kidney
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
Level 5, 2775 Laurel Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
604-875-5182 or 1-855-875-5182
kidneydonornurse@vch.ca
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Or, for more information, visit right here.
Do good, feel good! Register to be an organ donor and get that warm fuzzy feeling. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Taketwominutes.ca #TakeTwoMinutes
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