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Waiting for a kidney transplant
Transplants | Last Active: Mar 19, 2019 | Replies (35)Comment receiving replies
Becky,
I'm so glad you reached out. I struggled with this too. First of all being in kidney failure is exhausting, scary and sometimes lonely and overwhelming. I remember thinking, I can't ask someone for $20 let alone a kidney. I was also afraid that if people at my work found out I might get fired. Somedays when I was really down I wondered if I was worth saving. What helped me the most was letting others advocate on my behalf. I didn't feel comfortable asking for help myself but it turns out I had two friends who couldn't wait to get the word out. In fact I came to learn later that it was really hard for them to sit on the sidelines and watch me suffer so they felt very empowered and motivated by spreading the word for me. Getting updates from them really raised my spirits. Maybe your niece who clearly loves you so much can help advocate for you?
Jolinda
Replies to "Becky, I'm so glad you reached out. I struggled with this too. First of all being..."
You didn't come across as "breezy", just another perspective. Donors and their families are such a blessing to us all it's beyond words!!! It was such a hurdle for me to ask for anything, your food shelf comment was spot on, so tough to ask sometimes. Great info you shared, I can feel your positive energy coming through in the post.
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@jolinda Thank you for reminding me about it being hard to ask for things. I don't know why it didn't occur to me because I may feel the same way. I can't imagine how hard that would be.
Finding a few people to advocate is a great idea. @beitel, The more people that know about organ donation, the better. Even if it's not something someone can do right now for you, they may hear about it from one of your friends or family members and decide to donate to someone at a later date.
I realize that's easy for me to say, I don't need a kidney. The example that comes to mind is it's easier for me to tell people about the food pantry in our neighborhood, who it serves and how to keep it stocked than to say I don't always have money at the end of the month to feed my family and if you could grab a few extra cans of soup for me when you shop, that would be great. I can easily do things for the greater good but I know it's very difficult to ask for help. I'm sorry I sounded so breezy about, "just tell everyone"