“My niece Dwan had been on the transplant list for quite some time, and she was getting to a critical point. I prayed about it and decided, well, just let me try, because I felt like I needed to do something. I knew if I could be a donor, I would do that. But at the same time, I thought that because I was older, I might not be able to, because I was 57 at the time I started and 58 by the time I became a donor. The doctor told me, ‘No, you’re the kind of person we want. You’ve taken care of yourself, you’re in good health, and we know you’ll take care of yourself from now on.’
“My niece did not end up being able to get my kidney, but she got someone else’s. And originally, Dwan getting a kidney was my main purpose for doing what I did — although now I know I would give again if I could.
“I got a call in August 2015 that they had found a match, and I believe it was October 30 when we actually had our surgery. I didn’t have a lot of problems of any kind. And now when I think back, it’s like I barely remember doing it. I don’t feel different in any way. I’ve gone back for my six-month follow-up and had some blood work and all that done, and everything is still really good. So it’s been a wonderful experience for me.
“I did not meet my recipient, Corey, at the hospital; but I did talk to him on the phone later and met him in the spring. My niece lived in Northport, and that’s where Corey worked. So I went by his workplace to meet him, and we took some pictures together, so that was really neat. He’s a nice guy. We’ve talked on the phone several times, and we text back and forth, around the holidays and things like that. He’s really friendly.
“I feel very fortunate to be a part of the chain. And it was all very interesting to me, how it came together and how they schedule people and get everybody lined up. That was just an amazing thing how they get all the donors and recipients and doctors and nurses together to pull that off.
“If anyone asked me about donating, I would tell them, if they are healthy enough to do it, I would do it. I have no reservations about it. Sometimes people tell me I’m a hero or this or that, but I don’t feel that way. I just feel like I was blessed to be able to help somebody.”