Eleven years ago July 18th was a Sunday night. At about 11:00 I heard the phone ringing. My first thought was who would be calling me at this time of night. My second thought was...maybe it's Meritcare hospital in Fargo and they have a kidney.
I didn't think it would really be the hospital because I had been waiting for 5 years and had given up on ever getting one.
But it WAS!
I was told I was the backup patient in case the person in front of me on the list was unable to pass all the last minute tests to qualify. I was told not to take my evening .81mg aspirin and asked when did I last eat and warned don't eat anything more and be in Fargo at 7:30 in the morning.
Just in case.
About 15 minutes later I got another call. The decedent donor had two good kidneys and I was now primary for the second one.
I don't remember if I was excited or scared or calm. I told Jim and I know we got ready. Really I don't remember much until we got to the hospital the next morning. I remember they took 16 vials of blood from me. I remember I had some kind of heart test. An EKG? I remember waiting and waiting. Hungry and thirsty.
I didn't get into the surgery until after 7 in the evening. I remember being wheeled into the operating room and Dr. Mistry asking if I wanted to see the kidney before the surgery. Hell NO!
Then it was the next morning and it was over, or just beginning. The rest of my life.
Eleven years ago. July 18 2010.
I didn't know this. Glad you got the kidney and I got a chance to get to know you.
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