How Mary Is Rocking 1 Kidney

I am 56, the biological mother of five, stepmother to another five. One day a neighbor told me his partner had received bad news he was going to need a kidney – he had a hereditary disease where his kidney developed tumors. I said, “Oh that’s terrible, put me on the list. If we are a match, he can have one of my kidneys.”

I had only met Mark once in passing. Well lo and behold, I was a match and we shared a successful transplant a little over a year ago. During the time leading up to the transplant I got to know my recipient very well, and feel blessed for all the wonderful laughs we have had together and those that are in our futures.

I rock with one kidney – six, maybe eight weeks after my transplant I jumped a plane to England by myself and went to surprise my son in Nottingham. It was a great week! After leaving the hospital I never even needed to take any pain medication, it was way easier than I ever thought. I barely missed a beat, a few days of rest and away I was. I would do it again if it were possible.