Are you KIDNEY me? A lifesaving, double organ transplant.

Four years ago today, Brad received a lifesaving double organ transplant. Brad would (obviously) not enter my life until years later, but I still feel the significance of this day – my natural response to this anniversary is to celebrate in gratitude. However, I quickly checked my emotions and realized I must balance that gratitude with sorrow and tribute. Brad’s life, quite frankly, was saved because another life was lost. After struggling with severe mixed emotions, I realized I must treat these two as separate, non-correlating events (despite knowing they are directly correlated).

Dear Brad,

I cannot imagine the fear and pain (both emotionally and physically) you endured. Many people tell me empathy is my best characteristic, but I will never be able to empathize. What I do know – I feel so incredibly blessed that you are alive. I could fill a dictionary with adjectives to describe you: kind, funny, intelligent, hardworking, successful, humble, caring, optimistic, talented, tenacious, responsible, loving, honest, inspiring, and the list goes on and on. You, seemingly overnight, became my best friend. You offer me unconditional love and support, while also holding me accountable and providing solutions. Every day, I wake up and I want to be a better version of myself, largely because of you.

Dear Donor,

I do not know you, or anything about you – so forgive me for speaking in generalizations. I do not believe everything happens for a reason. I do not believe that “only the good die young” or that God “needs angels.” I don’t know if you are in a better place. I do believe life is unfair. I *hope* you are in a better place. I *hope* you, and your loved ones, find just a crumble of peace knowing that your ultimate sacrifice – life – saved Brad’s and several others. Please know that those saved lives have a trickle effect that is infinite. I know this to be true, because I am just one person that happens to exist in this big, big universe, but I feel the infinity in the honor of knowing Brad.

To everyone else,

If you are a registered organ donor, thank you. If you are not, please consider becoming one. If you don’t know if you are one, find out. Communicate your wishes with loved ones. On this day four years ago, one mother lost her child, but another mother got to keep hers.

To my three-kidney-but-only-one-is-functional-consumes-endless-Gatorade-and-always-feels-like-crap-in-the-morning-man-of-mine … Happy transplant anniversary.

Thank you to Christina Jones for bringing my vision to life when I said, "So, I am going to need some kidney cookies."

#organdonation #donatelife #organtransplant #letseatthepancreas #transplanniversary