Patience, patience....

I've been told by my 5 year old that patience is a virtue. In times like these, who has patience? Certainly not me. Nor my sisters.

Jamie's post mentioned that Nicole's kit came back a compatible match. Everyone is excited that Jamie went from the unknown in regards to living donor options to having three COMPATIBLE options and here is how it went down...My kits were submitted simultaneously with Jenny's and Nicole's was submitted while I was waiting for final results. Jenny was a compatible match all along. I had to submit a second kit because of the antibody/antigen thing and got results on Jamie's birthday (I was in Toys R Us shopping when Mayo called) and Jamie found out about Nicole's results on Friday.

SO, I'm sure you are asking what are next steps. Well, that's making the decision on who is going to share organs. There are pros and cons for each one of us in donating. We are weighing those amongst ourselves and Jamie has had her questions answered by her coordinator this morning. All three of us will give Jamie whatever she wants (however I told her I wouldn't shave my head for her), but the most important is making the decision on what's best for Jamie.

It's a very hard decision to make even though it could be a sibling or extended family member. Did I think twice about it? I sure did. Was I being selfish? Yes I was. I thought long and hard about my decision and realized that I couldn't live with myself if Jamie had no other options but me and my selfishness put Jamie through medical hell for years while waiting for a donor. Once I made my decision, I was very comfortable with it and seeked out living donors to hear their stories. I educated myself on the potential complications, what the surgery entailed, what recovery was like and what life was beyond donation. It's not life threatening, complications are the same as any other surgery, recovery is a few weeks and life beyond is no different.

To have my sister physically with me for my whole life is more important to me than a few weeks of pain and slow moving. And we'd have matching scars!!!

Organ donation should not be done to bring attention or sympathy to oneself, illegally to extort money or as a means to hold it over someone's head for material items/favors. It should be done willingly and to SAVE A LIFE.

www.matchingdonors.com is a resource that has appeared in segments in the local news, the Today show and various other media outlets. My amazing daycare provider watched a segment and shared the link with me. If you are serious about donating an organ, whether being a living donor or a donor in death, I urge you to check out the link.