It's a trend that's changing transplant medicine. More and more people are willing to donate a kidney or part of a liver - while they're still alive.
"Having someone give you your life back -- it's hard to just say you're grateful," says Steven. "Gratitude doesn't do it. I don't know what the right word is."
The two men became friends over 20 years ago when Michael worked at a company managed by Steven. A few years later, Michael left his job and moved away. They stayed in touch, talking on the telephone a couple of times a year.
It was during one of those conversations that Michael learned that Steven had terminal liver disease brought on by hepatitis and needed a transplant. Steven was depressed because doctors had just disqualified a high school friend who had volunteered to be a donor. After a Transplant: What to Expect, How to Cope
"Right there in the middle of that conversation, I knew without a doubt what I was going to do," Michael recalled months later. "Something just came over me. It just felt right. I know it sounds strange, but that is just the way it was."
Without a word to Steven, Michael had his blood type tested and discovered that he matched his friend. "I called and asked if he'd like to have half of my liver," Michael says. "He said, 'You're crazy.' But I told him I wanted to do it."
______________________________________________________
"You have the power to SAVE lives."
To register as a donor TODAY
In California:
www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org | www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org
Outside California:
www.organdonor.gov | www.donatelife.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment