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Last Friday Megan called to inform me that there was a package from the University of Chicago hospitals waiting for me at home.  I have been selected to start the process.  There was quite a bit of reading material, which I made it through quickly.  It did not teach me anything, really, other than if you change your mind at the last minute they will tell the patient that medical complications arose that make you an incompatible donor...they will not tell a patient that you backed out.  I guess that makes some sense, dashing the hopes of an ill person probably doesn't help anything but I think I would want them to be honest with me if someone wanted to back out.  Most everything else I had read before, I've done so much research in the last few years I think I grasp the whole subject fairly well.

My blood draw has to be on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and since mine are full for right now I will get blood drawn in a few weeks, more than likely week after next.  I am excited/dreading it.  I would love to be a  match, am hoping that I will be and dreading being told that I am a sucky match and to move on.  I think I always have the ability to do a paired exchange, that is something I will have to roll around the brain when the time comes.

Fingers crossed, I would love to be her match since she's a hard subject.

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I called and spoke with transplant coordinator,  Kathy Davis, at the University of Chicago hospital, yesterday after work.  I passed her tests and now it is being sent on to the financial offices for consideration.  The only thing that may prevent me from donating is the fact that I had gestational diabetes with the girls.  Even though it was years ago, diet controlled and very mild it may come into play.  We will find out as things progress even further.

I emailed Debbie to let her know where the process was, asked her to let me know if she heard anything back before I did.  The siting and waiting for judgement is hard for me, I can imagine what it is like for someone waiting for a transplant.

Fingers crossed on this one, since she is such a difficult match I really want to be the one.

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The ball is rolling, I will be getting the name and number of a transplant coordinator in Illinois within the next day or so.  The patients name is Debbie, she is a 40 year old married mother of 4 that donated her time and energy to help in her community before she fell ill.  Her goal once she gets her health back is to assist Habitat for Humanity on a house build, something I have always wanted to do.  I can tell by her response that she is cautiously optimistic about our pairing, I can't say I blame her.  I did tell her that I would contact her coordinator early next week even though I plan on calling tomorrow.  Hopefully  that will give her a weekend free of wondering if calls have been made and what is going on.

The process through her center is fairly simple, to start.  I will talk to her coordinator and do a quick over the phone history to see if there is anything that will bar me from donation.  If I look like a plausible candidate then everything will be forwarded to her insurance company to get permission to start testing.  The initial testing consists of nothing more than an in depth questionaire and one vial of blood.  I don't even have to have a physical, that will only happen if it appears we may be a match, which I very much hope we are.

I know that this match is more than a long shot, her illness is going to make a match very difficult to find which makes me want to be the one even more. 

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So I made the call and I was right, I was shaking over a few second voicemail.  I still think it is silly but it is what it is.

So

For the third time I have contacted someone just as/after they have received a transplant from another donor.  I must have some sort of touch, some sort of good kidney boogajoo.  I really never thought it would be this hard.  Maybe at some point I will become discouraged and walk away, or let it wear me down and hand the decisionover to strangers who make decisions based on some need matrix on a computer or I will open my profile and see if anyone comes looking for me.  I hope not.  It took me a long time to come to terms with all of this and find the way that is right for me and I am not going to abandon the process in less than 6 months, especially since the things that have made this journey bumpy is that people are getting what they need, their health!  What a joyous thing to cause trouble :)

So I have sent off an email to a 40 something mother of 4 over in Illinois.  She is going to be a hard match and I doubt we'll be a fit from the sounds of it, but I will do the preliminary match work if she is interested.  If nothing else it will get all my numbers on file and make any potential match in the future easier to deal with.  If I can tell right off bat that we are too far apart to be a match I won't even have to contact anyone and start up false hopes.  I can't imagine what it is like to sit and wait for a phone call like that.  It almost makes me breathless just thinking about it.  As if sitting hooked to a machine 12+ hours a week in order to save your life/make you ill is not bad enough.

My family has always been fairly healthy, it is something I am appreciating even more as the years slip by.

Ok, off to contact one more person.  If this one doesn't quite work out I will sit and wait for a while longer, my kidney will be just as good in April as it is now.  Wish me luck!