ninjakitty117

Did the whole marching band perform? Opt in/out? Special tryouts?

My dad donated a kidney to his brother¹ in 1995. He was perfectly healthy to do so at the time. Four years later, he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In the last few years, his blood pressure has gone up, and the combination of both has wreaked havoc on the remaining kidney. Been looking for a donor since June^2.

I am not donating my kidney to my dad as I am overweight and trying to get my A1C under control (I'm on the high end of normal. Not pre-diabetic yet). I don't want to be in the same place he's in now in 20 years.

So, if you're someone with a family history of T2, high blood pressure, or renal failure, I'd definitely think twice before donating. If you're a healthy person with regular exercise and a balanced diet, and a limited family history of chronic medical conditions, I think it's absolutely a nobel thing to do.

¹ My uncle lived with that kidney happily for a decade before he stopped being able to afford the anti-rejection meds, and died in 2006

² Good news: we think we've found a kidney for my dad. We just have to wait for hospital capacity to normalize before they can do the transplant because it's "elective" surgery

Yeah, it's really scary. When I was younger, I thought I absolutely would donate a kidney. Now, maybe not so much. My dad's twin brother is also in renal failure, so I don't think my odds are good, or maybe too good? (3/7 siblings so far.)

I think we're lucky in some ways because my mom is a nurse, so they trained her on dialysis, so they can do it at home. But she's been showing some caregiver fatigue already. I think it helps having an end in sight.