I was waiting for 6 1/2 years, until I received the lucky call — I had a kidney match from a deceased donor.
This luck didn’t come lightly. I spent days, weeks, years looking for living donors to be my match. I had three people go through the testing process, but alas, none were matches. I beat the long odds that people with kidney failure face in getting a transplant. There is a huge kidney shortage in the U.S. About 97,000 people are on the waiting list for a kidney, but last year, only 22,000 kidney transplants were performed. We need to make more kidneys available for transplant.
That’s why I traveled to Washington, D.C., last week to advocate on Capitol Hill with the American Kidney Fund for legislation that can encourage living organ donation, so others don’t have to spend years waiting.
The Living Donor Protection Act would prohibit discrimination against living organ donors by life, long-term care and disability insurers, and would ensure donors have job-protected leave for the surgery and recovery. Join me and ask your congressional representatives to support the passage of this lifesaving legislation.