Kidney Blogging, Cont'd
Speaking of large churches, one advantage of belonging to a large congregation is that it gives you more potential kidney donors. But, as this story from Seattle illustrates, it's hard for people who need kidneys to ask for donors. Assuming they believe what they preach, more religious congregations should step up and encourage living donors, whether to members or others. As I noted in this USA Today article, "If every Baptist congregation in the country found a donor for one kidney patient, the waiting list would vanish and that's just the Baptists."
I got a nice note from Brenda Lagrimas, the woman to whom Tom Simon donated a kidney:
Hi Virginia! I heard from Tom (Simon) about your recent diagnosis with breast cancer, and I am so sorry to hear about it. Please know that I am sending nothing but positive thoughts your way. I can't begin to know what it's like to be dealing with cancer, but I know what it's like to have to undergo treatments that help you live, but make you feel crappy at the same time. It's not easy, but it's what we have to do. I hope your treatments aren't too horrible, and I hope the medicine does what it needs to do. I wish you the best and you will definitely be in my prayers!
Aside from the sweet sentiments, echoed by many readers (thank you one and all), Brenda makes an important point about dialysis. It is not a cure for kidney disease. It's like having chemotherapy every couple of days every week for the rest of your life.