Kristi Jeter - 18
"I'm not going to lie; it was a little difficult to get my family on board at first. We had to talk about it."
“But the reason I called UAB is because I read something on Facebook about a guy who needed a transplant. It was a friend of a friend. I didn’t know him. I came in to be tested just to see if I could help him, but we weren’t a match.
“While I was here, I heard about non-directed kidney donation. I hate that I couldn’t help him, but I was excited that maybe I could help somebody else.
“The man who I was originally tested for just wrote the best letter on Facebook. He talked about his family, and it wasn’t that you felt sorry for him, but you felt sorry for the predicament he was in. And I really wanted to come in and see if I could help.
“I got my family on board and they said they were behind me, so we came in to see if I was a match. Unfortunately, I found out a couple of days later that I wasn’t a match. But I still wanted to give.
“I’m not going to lie; it was a little difficult to get my family on board at first. We had to talk about it. UAB had a video online of a lady who donated, and I showed them that. It was neat though because it was not a fast process. It’s been steady, and there have been lots of blood tests and stuff. You feel thoroughly checked out to make sure you’re healthy enough to do it.
“I have two children, 17 and 15. The oldest is a boy and the youngest is a girl. My oldest is just fascinated with the whole process. He’s even researched stuff and was caught up in it. The youngest was a little scared. She just wanted it to go well.
“Also, I prayed about things. I would not have been here otherwise. I prayed to God to shut a door if he didn’t want me to do this. Instead, he opened a new door every step of the way. I believe I was supposed to do this.”