I have been living with kidney disease for a number of years. Until recently, I have been able to manage the impacts of this chronic illness while maintaining a relatively normal lifestyle. However, over the last year, the disease has progressed such that my kidneys do not work well enough to keep me alive. In July, I started hemodialysis at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre three times per week for four hours each session. I have found dialysis to be a very difficult and grueling treatment; I honestly had no idea how hard it would be. Most of the time I feel trapped, nauseous, tired, and depressed.
Due to this decline in my health, I made the very difficult decision to retire early from my radiation oncology practice at Sunnybrook, where I treated several hundred cancer patients and conducted research for almost three decades. It is work that I loved and work that I hope to go back to if I am fortunate enough to receive a transplant.
While regular dialysis treatments will keep me alive for a limited period of time, a transplant is the only alternative which would restore my previous quality of life. Also weighing heavily on me is that dialysis itself creates additional complications and health decline which will reduce my eligibility for transplant year after year. Finding a kidney donor is not easy and time is not on my side. Usually, the estimated waiting time for a deceased transplant donor with my blood type O is 6–7 years—the longest of any blood type—which is why I started the difficult search for a living kidney donor about a year ago.
I am sure you can imagine that asking someone to consider donating a kidney on my behalf is very difficult. As a potential kidney donor, you would be carefully assessed by your donor medical team and well taken care of. If there are any concerns that your health will be negatively affected, you will not be allowed to proceed. I am told that, most often, the donor surgery is now done laparoscopically, leaving minimal scarring.
A kidney transplant would significantly improve my quality of life and allow me to spend more time with my beloved family and friends, as well as with my dog, Ben. I am in the fight for my life, and I have much more life to live! If you have ever considered being a kidney donor or helping to save a life, please consider finding out more.