← Return to Living Without You - My Brother's Gift of Life

Discussion

Living Without You - My Brother's Gift of Life

Transplants | Last Active: Feb 21, 2017 | Replies (22)

Comment receiving replies
@IWantToBelieve

I realize that I'm responding to an old post but I'm new to these discussions I have joined because I just turned 50 and will need a kidney transplant (hopefully from a living donor) in 1-2 years due to my polycystic kidney disease (PKD). I wanted to tell you about a wonderful organization called Griefshare. It is a support group for people who are grieving the loss, through death, of a loved one. You can go to the website and put in your zip code and hopefully there is a group near you. It is a 12 week program but you can attend as many times as you need since grief takes a minimum of one year, often longer, to navigate. The website also has some articles and general information about grief. The groups are run by volunteers (my husband and I have lead several) so if one does not suit you perhaps there will be another in your community to participate in. I truly hope you find a community to walk with you through your grief because no one should do it alone. My first daughter died suddenly at 7 months, my dad died at age 71 from PKD (infection following a kidney transplant), and my brother-in-law died suddenly from cardiomyopathy at age 42. It doesn't matter how many people you have said good-bye to - every grief process is different but none are quick and easy. Please reach out for help.

Jump to this post


Replies to "I realize that I'm responding to an old post but I'm new to these discussions I..."

@lcamino, Welcome to Connect. We are here to support each other and to share useful information with others. I thank you for your sharing and support that you have offered. I feel that this is the kind of information that can be helpful to many of our members. I offer my belated condolences on your family losses.

I also see that you are patient, yourself. I invite you to look at the other transplant discussions. There are others who are in the process, or have received kidney transplant. And there are some recent discussions about living donation. Please accept my personal invitation to join in where ever you feel comfortable. We welcome questions or concerns that you might present. Also we look forward to any helpful information or encouragement that you discover along the way.

Here is a link that I also offer for you to explore.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/check-out-our-new-connect-page-on-living-donation/

I look foreword to continuing conversation with you on one of these discussions.
Rosemary