Ok, so you know when you’ve asked someone for a favor, and they act weird about it, and you retort with a, “God, I’m not asking for your kidney – just forget I even asked!”? Well, in the next few paragraphs, I AM going to be asking for your kidney, so stop reading now if you know in your heart you could never donate it. And, I won’t judge you for it; it’s a scary thing to think about losing an organ. It’s a scary prospect to face the rest of your life with HALF of your body’s filtration system. But, if you read about what happens to Living Kidney Donors, you’ll be inundated with facts on how your other kidney, by the Grace of God’s brilliant design, will step up to the plate and say, “I’ll miss you, Buddy; it’s been a good 25 years, but I got this. You go and start your work elsewhere. Please tell Steve I got this over here.”
It’s amazing what your body does to adapt after kidney donation. Did you know that on average, kidney donors live a longer life due to the fact that they generally take better care of themselves after the transplant? Are there risks? Of course there are. I don’t want to bore you with the details of the minute amounts of things that can go wrong. But, you can find so much info out there anyway. If you’ve read this far, it seems you at least have an interest in calling the toll free number to start the process.
Obviously, I have a vested interest in this case. It’s taken me several weeks, days, hours, and moments to come to terms with the fact that in the biggest time of my baby brother’s need, I failed him. I couldn’t save him, even though there was NOTHING in this world that I wanted more. I could write volumes on what my brother means to me…on how giving him a world not attached to tubes and wires and a thousand medications was something that I didn’t even quite understand how badly I wanted. It was as if a hole had been punched through me that would never close.
But, for reasons that I’ll probably never understand, it wasn’t meant to be. His big sister, who solved all his problems when he was a little boy, couldn’t solve this one, despite praying and hoping with every fiber of her being that she could. And with that, I have turned my shock, hurt, anger, feelings of failure and inadequacy into an energy that I can only describe as fierce. I WILL find him a donor. I WILL, in all ways possible, help save my brother. It’s the same path I started out on, only now, my determination is geared in a different direction.
I am going to post a toll free number at the bottom of this. When I’m done, and you sit with the thought in your head of, “Man, I really want to do this, but I have a family,” or, “I’m too young, or too old, or too out of shape,” I only ask that you pray about it if that’s what you do. By calling the number, you are simply agreeing to be tested as a POSSIBLE match. They may even rule you out over the phone due to a few reasons, but it CAN’T hurt. It will cost you nothing through this process; my brother’s insurance takes care of all medical issue finances for you.
So, ultimately, yes, I am asking for your kidney. But, first, I’m just asking that you’ll call to see if you may be the one that gives my brother life. This journey has opened my eyes to so many things – one of which that life is too precious, and any time I have the opportunity to change – let alone save – someone’s life, I’m taking it.
So, here’s the number. Call it. See if you might have that opportunity NOW. And, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this far and considering it. It means the world to me and my family. It means life, and it means that you might be able to give it in a situation in which not many people ever have the opportunity. Think Eminem, as I’ve had it playing the entire time I’ve been writing this, “Lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it; you better never let it go…You only get one shot; do not miss your chance to blow – cause opportunity comes once in a lifetime, Yo….”
Call it: 210.575.4483 – when they ask, tell them you’re calling for Stephen Preusz – they’ll take it from there.
B
(and the link "Lose Yourself" is a link to his You Tube video - play it while you read it...it helps).
"Lose Yourself"
