Dan-Kidney Recipient

My family has a history of poly cystic kidney disease. My mother, uncle, and brother have had kidney transplants, all from deceased donors. I have a sister and daughter that both have PDK. I received a kidney transplant September 17, 2009. I received a kidney from a living donor, a lady from the church I serve. Transplantation has greatly enhanced my life, I’m able to live a normal life and continue to serve the Lord as pastor of a local church. I have always been competitive and transplantation has allowed me to continue to compete. I have participated in the Transplant games every 2 years since 2010.  I actively encourage people to seek transplantation and to support transplantation.

There are 130 million on the organ donor registry, stats that I have read , state that some 95% of the population support organ donation , but only some 56% are registered. In my own experience there is a great need for education concerning organ donation. At an event a while ago , this lady approached the registry table and said they have lived long enough, I asked they who, she replied those who need organ transplants, I replied have I lived long enough , I received a transplant at 46 , there is a young boy on our transplant team who is three years old and had received a transplant. This lady did no understand organ donation. I try to stay informed and educate those I can about the need and importance of organ donation.I have been so blessed with a transplant and i want to pass that blessing to others.

There is a great need , there are some 118,000 waiting for life saving and life enhancing transplants, some 22 people die daily waiting for a life saving transplants. Of the 130 million on the organ donor registry, I’ve been informed that only 3 in 1000 will die in such a way as to be an organ donor, if my calculations are correct that means less than 45,000 will be eligible for organ donation. If we can move from the 56% that are registered to the 95% that believe in organ donation , we can almost double the available organ donors.