Written by Hetty C. Haden Two and a half years ago, I received a kidney for transplant from a live donor, whom I had never known in real life or in person. We met only because we were both Baltimore Orioles baseball fans. Here is our story: As we all know, the Baltimore Orioles had […]
Power Players – Katherine and MaryBeth
Everyone’s weight loss journey is unique, but Katherine’s began as an attempt to save her daughter MaryBeth’s life. MaryBeth was a vibrant and energetic 5-year-old but her doctors were concerned that she was not growing. They put her through a series of tests which led to referrals to 10 different specialists. She finally was referred […]
Power Players – Paul and Nicole
Written by Sarah Razner for Because of Organ Donation In Fall 2018, I walked into Marian University’s Common Grounds for an interview. It was not the first I had done there in my time as a reporter, but it became the most impactful. That night, I had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Braatz, Paul Osterholm, […]
Power Player – Mike
Mike had never thought about organ donation before – and didn’t even realize there is a need for organs. However, that all changed when he attended a family event and learned that his cousin, Brenda, needed a kidney transplant. Since Brenda was a distant cousin, Mike introduced himself, and after they began talking, he immediately […]
Power Player – Sara
Alport Syndrome, a disorder characterized by kidney disease, is very familiar to Sara and her family. She watched her mother experience the complications of Alports over the years, along with her cousin, her older brother, and other family members. When Sara’s brother, Paul, was around seven years old, they recognized abnormalities in his kidney function. […]
Power Player – EJ
In 2016, EJ’s brother was experiencing kidney failure; undergoing dialysis, and waiting for a kidney transplant. EJ described his brother then as “shy,” “reserved” and never someone to ask anything from anyone—especially asking anyone to consider donating a kidney. He could remember how weak his brother was. His brother struggled with daily activities he should […]
Power Player – Ann
In 1998, Ann moved to Birmingham, AL, where she met Tess, who would end up being a lifelong friend. From the beginning of their friendship, Ann knew that Tess had a history of Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and that a kidney transplant was most likely in her future. Tess did everything she could to protect […]
Power Players – Mike and Joy
Last October, Joy decided she wanted to be a living kidney donor. She didn’t have a recipient in mind, but she filled out a questionnaire and was told she could proceed with medical testing. “I just woke up one day and decided I wanted to be a donor,” Joy said. A couple of […]
Power Player – Roy
Roy is a store manager at a regional furniture retailer called Raymour & Flanigan. In 2019, Roy’s store gained a new associate, Randy. Randy had requested a transfer to a store that would make his commute easier, as he is the caregiver to his 21-year-old son with brain cancer. Two weeks after Randy started, he […]
Power Player – Tyler
Several years ago, Tyler overheard a conversation about living kidney donation. This topic always stuck with him, although it would take several years for the idea to come to fruition. Tyler was in a work accident in 2009, which left Tyler with an amputated foot. “I learned to live with missing parts, so I knew […]
Power Player – Rhonda
Two years ago, Rhonda’s father went into kidney failure because of his diabetes. At the time, he was 74 years old and just starting home dialysis. After a year of dialysis, Rhonda told her father that he should attempt to get a kidney transplant. She offered to be his living donor, but he declined her […]
Power Player – Charles
My sister Nancy is seventy. When she was twelve her kidneys began to fail, triggered possibly by an autoimmune response to being stung by a swarm of bees. For the next six years, I watched as medications, needles, blood tests, doctors, hospitals, and finally kidney failure consumed her life. This was the sixties and artificial […]
Power Player – Carol
To say that I was an unlikely kidney donor is an understatement. If my high school yearbook had had a “Least Likely to Be a Living Kidney Donor” category, that would have been me. I’ve always been a wimp: I faint at flu shots, IVs, blood tests. And yet, in June 2006, I donated a […]
Power Player – Holly
I was the youngest by three minutes. So, I suppose being a twin help me to fight, to give me the will to live from day one. The doctors knew something was wrong. I don’t think we ever did get a satisfying answer as to why I was sick. I ended up being the youngest […]
Power Player – Rachel
Written by: Rachel Adams I donated altruistically to a woman in Pennsylvania. I think I’ll always remember the moment they told me her creatinine levels had gone down to normal. The sun was shining outside my hospital window and my mom and best friend were in the room. I didn’t know how many transplants were […]
Power Player – Christine
On October 24th, 1998, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Christine Galan became the first heart and liver transplant recipient in the Western United States. It was a new procedure, but Christine never doubted that it was for the best. Christine was born in Jamaica and moved to San Diego as a child. When she was a […]