The Pre-Transplant Recipient Class
On Friday, April 28th, 2023, I accompanied my husband to the Miami Transplant Institute.
Today, we are attending an introductory class. Jeff would need to begin his application for the Kidney Transplant Waiting List as a recipient! The education process is vital, as it helps you mentally and physically begin to prepare yourself for this very strange phase of your life.
Before you ask…yes, even though we were hoping I’d be the living donor, it is still required that the recipient be on ‘the list’. This is because once you start the application process, it takes weeks to get the recipient approved, and the physical testing process is the same.
The really neat fact about living donation is, you’re saving two lives! Your recipient, obviously, but you’ve just cleared the path for someone else on the waiting list to get their matching kidney just that much sooner. What a beautiful circle of life.
Back to the class. They will discuss what is required for your testing, bloodwork, and physical requirements to be eligible for surgery. You’ll leave today with a folder of information, and probably a campus or hospital map, as you’ll be spending a lot of time there in the coming months. You will see others in this classroom that are in the same stage of life as you. It can be a comfort to know that you are not alone!
My husband stepped away to speak with a social worker; usually they don’t let anyone else in the room for this. I later learned they need to ask questions about your mindset and see just how prepared you are for the next few months of potential stress and recovery.
Quick fact from U Health Jackson. “In Florida, more than 3,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant. Each year, about 750 kidney transplants are done from deceased donors. About 250 kidney transplants are done from living donors.”
When I was nosing through my husband’s paperwork as we left the class and I came across this, I was immediately choked up! How did this number feel so SMALL?
250 living donor kidney transplants in the state of Florida, and I was more than ready to add myself to the statistic.
