“I’ve always wanted to help people, and when a friend posted a blog about how she was going to donate a kidney and couldn’t, I thought, ‘That is what I need to do.’
“Before that, I didn’t know you could be a living donor. I thought it was something that happens after you pass away. After realizing that I could give away an organ that I don’t have to have to live with, I thought, ‘If I don’t do this, my life’s not complete.’ I just knew somebody needed a kidney and they’re depending on some stranger to give up theirs, and I was that stranger.
“I’m not afraid of surgery. I had two children by C-section, so getting cut open was not an issue for me. Other people I’ve talked to will say, ‘I’m not letting anybody cut into my body and take anything out.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I’ve already had that done twice.’
“I also sat down with my children beforehand and talked with them about it, and they were completely OK with it. I’m basically their superhero now. This process has made me a better person in their eyes, and a better person in general.
“After the surgery, we met the majority of the people who were involved in the kidney chain all in one room and met everyone. It was amazing. Meeting my recipient, Nathan, was great. He had his wife and family there, and they were telling me about their son and daughter, and they just hugged me like I was already family. He’s the same age I am. He lives in Mississippi, and we keep in touch over Facebook and message back and forth.
“I’ve talked to so many people, and if they ask about kidney donation, I tell them, ‘Just go through the testing and see if you’re able to, and if you’re not scared of surgery, consider it. Because somebody is relying on you. You might not think you’re important, but you are. You could be a perfect match for somebody in the world.
“If I had just waited around thinking somebody in my life might need a kidney, then I might never have saved anybody’s life. But Nathan and I, we were a perfect match — and they had thought they might never find a match for him. I just happened to be the one. So everything happens for a reason.”