It all started when....

I first met Craig in 1991 when we were working together in a small roadhouse style bar. We spent a lot of time together, and eventually we were dating. We were 19 and had a lot of fun, parties seemed to be the main theme. I can't remember how long we dated, I'm sure it wasn't for long, but we stayed friends and continued to spend time together.

A few years passed, I had moved and had a child and we ran into each other. It was just like old times, hugs, laughing, talking. He's just that kind of person you can catch up with in minutes  and the friendship continues where it left off.

Fast forward many more years, Craig has gotten married, my daugther is in high school and a chance meeting at IKEA has us in touch again. Once again, we caught up into a conversation just like old times. He told me of his wife, Heather, and their dogs and we talked aboutmy daughter just starting high school and when I mentioned I was a firefighter for the City, he said that he was a volunteer with the rural part of the City. He mentioned at the time that his health kept him from applying fulltime. I didn't want to ask, incase it was something he didn't really want to discuss. What I would later find out was shocking to me.

Craig was not involved in an accident, he was not afflicted with a lifelong illness, he did not come into contact with Hepatitis, he took pain killers after a slow pitch injury. He took them on the advice of his doctor, although perhaps on an empty stomach and a little dehydrated and it sent his life into a tailspin. It wasn't long before his kidneys were failing. You can read the whole story here: Craig's bio

Fast forward to a few years later and something that had never occurred to me became very clear. He had posted something on facebook about the news he had just received, although cryptically. Ironically, it had been my mother who commented, not knowing (nor did anyone), what his message meant. He sent me a message, thinking the comment was from me and explained. I was floored. Not only were Craig's kidneys failing, his entry points for dialysis were also failing. He was down to a couple of options, neither was favourable. It hadn't occurred to me before that I could be a kidney donor! I set to google and soon learned that living with one kidney was really no big deal. People were back to desk work within weeks, people with physical jobs took a little longer, but the recovery seemed to go quite smoothly. Excellent. I wish I had realized sooner that a live donor was an option, but never the less, the process is under way.

I am writing this blog to show others what the process is like and what is involved with becoming a potential live donor. I am in the paired donor exchange program, and currently going through the screening tests. I am not a match directly to Craig because he has antibodies against me. The paired exchange simply means Donor A and Recipient A are entererd into a database, three times a year to find another pair; Donor B and Recipient B whom we match. Donor A gives a kidney to Recipient B and Donor B gives a kidney to Recipient A! Sharesy!

Please follow this blog and continue reading if you want to follow along in the process and think you too, may be able to become a donor!