On New Year’s Day of 2018, a Louisiana woman’s Facebook post appeared on my newsfeed (we did not know each other or even have mutual friends on Facebook.) Within her post, read, “… God willing I will find some special person to donate me a kidney.” This woman’s name was Angela Robertson of Marksville, Louisiana, and her post had only been up for a matter of minutes when I saw it.
I had, only six days prior, signed up to be screened for living kidney donation. This was during the holidays, so I had not heard back from anyone at Mayo Clinic yet.
I immediately commented on Angela’s post that I had recently signed up for donor screening, and I asked how I could pursue being her donor. (I strongly felt her post had been put in front of me by more than just algorithms.) Angela was registered with Ochsner Transplant Institute (OTI) in New Orleans. A phone call, four vials of blood and 16 mornings later, I got the call that I was a match for Angela. However, since I had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and OTI had no experience with a POTS patient as a living kidney donor, it took six months and approximately 70 tests before I would finally get the long-awaited approval…yes, they had agreed to do the transplant!
I was not only given the opportunity to inform the recipient-to-be, but also given the choice of when the transplant would take place. I knew EXACTLY when I wanted to do it: on Angela’s upcoming birthday, of course! The caseworker explained that living transplants are only performed at Ochsner on Mondays. I felt sudden disappointment. :-/ However, a quick glance at the calendar showed that August 20 was on a Monday! (This was also my eldest daughter’s birthday.)
Angela had since returned to her hometown in Tangipahoa Parish, which happened to be less than a half an hour from me. On August 10, just 10 days before the surgeries, we met for the very first time, with immediate family, in a private room at a restaurant. Emotions were running high for everyone. I went straight to Angela when I entered the room, and we embraced like two long lost sisters. Newspaper articles were written and a story aired on a New Orleans television station, WWL.
Ten days later, on August 20, 2018, two successful surgeries were performed at Ochsner in New Orleans. On Angela‘s birthday, she received the gift of life. Every birthday is cause for double-celebration for Angela. This coming August will make our 7th year “Kidneyversary.” We continue our friendship…or more appropriately, our kidney sisterhood.
Life today? I am the current “Ms. Senior World Louisiana,” 60s division, competing for the MSW title in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Nov 14-15. 👑 I bet you can guess my platform. Indeed, Organ Donation! 💙💚
–Jeri Gill
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