The accountant was tested and did indeed turn out to be a match. We were all so excited. Could this be the miracle that everyone had been hoping and praying for?
Determining that he was a match was the first step. The next step was to spend two days having a complete "head to toe" examination to make sure that he was healthy enough to donate. Seemingly the picture of health, we all assumed this would be an open and shut case and the surgery would be soon underway.
A few weeks later, I was once again in Walmart. By now, it was just after Christmas. Once again, I ran into Amy. I excitedly asked her how things were going in the preparation for the surgery. With misty eyes, she said, "Did you not hear?" When he went for the testing, the doctors found that he was borderline diabetic. He is no longer a candidate. While everyone was saddened by the news, there was one bright spot. The gentleman had no idea this condition existed. Maybe through his willingness to give of himself, his life was saved!
When we were driving home that evening, I felt that same stirring within me that makes your heart pound and your palms sweaty. I told my spouse that I now knew that I had to offer to be a donor for Sara. He assured me that if I felt so strongly about the situation, then I must follow through with it.
Before talking to Sara about the possibility of donating, I felt that I owed it to my daughters' to get their opinion. They were both middle school age and capable of understanding the situation. They knew Sara and were friends with her grandchildren. After explaining everything to them, one of them looked at me and said, "Mom, if our grandmother needed a kidney, we sure would hope that someone would be willing to do this for her." That sealed the deal for me. It was the final confirmation that I needed to go through with the offer.
We finally met with Sara and Joe. I shared with them that I wanted to be tested to see if I was a donor. Their immediate response was, "You cannot do this." There were so many concerns. I was too young. What if my children needed a kidney one day. We assured them that much prayer had gone into the decision and we knew that it was the right one. Finally, Sara reluctantly agreed to the testing. And that was when our story really began.
The first step in testing was to send a blood sample to the hospital to see if our tissues matched. After receiving the sample, it was determined that we were indeed a match. Our antigens did not completely match. 30 years ago, this would have been a problem. However, today there are medications that they can give to combat that. We were given the green light to move forward with my physical in Birmingham.
Upon arriving in Birmingham, I was poked, prodded and scanned seemingly over my entire body. I was psychoanalyzed along the way. They had to ensure that I was mentally stable as well as physically fit for the donation. Thankfully, I passed that test! At the end of the day, the coordinator came to my room and said that I was a perfect candidate. I called Sara as soon as I found out. Tears of joy were shed on all sides and surgery was scheduled for April 24, 2007.
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