My friend got a kidney!

[PamNY]

He's been waiting for 3.5 years. Got the call Sunday night; reported to the hospital Monday morning. As far as I know he's doing well.

Organ donation is so amazing. No matter how well I understand it intellectually, I almost can't get my mind around having that go on inside someone I know.

[Possegal]

My sister in law is on her second kidney and doing amazingly! Two of their 3 kids will need one someday too. As the bumper sticker says - don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here.

A good friend of mine's mother had a liver transplant in December. Even though the doctors kept saying that her liver wasn't in too bad of shape, she matched a local donor and moved up the list. In the end, the surgeon came out and told us the liver was WAAAAY worse than the blood parameters had let on, and then the histopathology of the old liver found that she had a very early hepatocellular carcinoma in there, too small for scan detection. What a miracle that transplant was!

Congrats to your friend!

[Tri Girl]

Congrats to your friend! That's fantastic news!

I'm an organ donor, because I won't need them when I'm dead, but it's a double edged sword. You know someone's family is going through the worst heartache of their life while another family is going through tremendous joy at getting a second chance at life. When my father passed, they were able to salvage some of his organs, and while I was devastated at losing him so young, the thought of him giving someone else life made me so happy.

If they can't use my organs, I want my body to be given to a med school. Let some young punks carve me up in hopes of them learning how to be a good doctor.

[aka_kim]

Great news for your friend!

I'll put in a plug for living donation too, see http://www.kidney.org to learn more.

Anyone remember the very funny "We Are the World" style song from 30 Rock called Kidney Now! with Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, and others?

[Zen]

Liver transplants work with living donors too.

[aka_kim]

So true, Zen.

I'm just the Linkinator today - http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/liver/liver.htm has some great info.

[spindizzy]

Yay for your friend!

I have "organ donor" engraved on my RoadID & my family is aware of my wishes.

[zoom-zoom]

Awesome...I hope this leads to a longer, healthier life for him!