Hello @rosemarya and thank you so much for your volunteer mentoring! Wonderful to hear of your story and hopefully continued health.
The best I can conceptualize and articulate when going through the first first matching test is that it’s like going to buy a lottery ticket. You’re so hopeful that you’re a match, but trying to caution yourself that you’re not, but ohhh that glimmer that you could ‘win’ and have that elated moment. It was a little sad and disappointing to not have that “meant to be” rare match, but, I knew that it was an option for me to proceed as an ‘exchange’/donation chain donor.

Being 35, and healthy, (and very long story(s) short!), I knew that my life/lifestyle was conducive to the testing and donation process, so we proceeded with scheduling and the battery of tests - so many!!! It was a life changing day finding out that I had been approved, then the next week she had been approved, then that WE were in the system waiting for a chain to come together.
Without mention of anything religious in tone, I will just say that it was ‘meant to be’ that we actually ended up being wheeled off to our respective OR’s at the exact same time, though that was not the original scheduled plan. My left kidney (“LeftyLeft”) was flown to Rochester, NY and my friend’s was flown in from Cleveland, OH.
So very thankful to have been given the gift of going through this process and everything that Mayo has done for my friend. And their staff has been incredible for me, again, life changing!!!