We here remember giving liver sections and giving and exchanging kidneys in Octobers past to friends, sisters, mothers, strangers, husbands, fathers, cousins, daughters, and professors. We recognize the courage and compassion each of these people demonstrated as they encountered the complexity of becoming a living donor. We support them, we are them, they are us.
Remember, too, all those whose names we may never know, facing "after" without our support, with or without the support of family or friends, a faith community, or professional counseling. We understand, perhaps as no others can, the existential pain of donor candidates thwarted from becoming donors, donor candidates who discovered they could not, should not continue, despite sincerely stepping forward, donor candidates grieving the loss of their would be recipients, grieving the loss of courage, grieving the web of constraints and commitments of prior decisions that precluded continuing with this one. We know they are not alone, that they are as courageous and worthy of recognition, support, and follow up, both short term and long term, as we are. By all reports, scant as they are, there are more than five to ten times as many of them as us, or perhaps as many as a million Americans left to deal with this on their own, as best they can.
This month marks the tenth anniversary of my spouse being told she would not be permitted to be a kidney donor to her friend's spouse. She is still in treatment for the previously undiagnosed condition discovered on her path to donation. It is still a grievous disappointment to her, even though she has also experience great joy in supporting us all on our paths to surgery and my amazing, unsuspected road to public witness since.
Best wishes, all, whether you are listed here by name, or not.
Twenty-second anniversary:
Tyrone Hyslop donated part of his liver to his sister on October 18th, 1989
Twenty-first anniversary:
Dannielle Hayes donated a kidney to her mother on October 9th, 1990
Fifteenth anniversary:
Lisa Moore donated a kidney to her sister on October 17th, 1996
Thirteenth anniversary:
Robert S. Burroughs donated a kidney to his sister on October 10th, 1998
Twelfth anniversary:
Jack Hallman donated a kidney to Donna Leubke's recipient, her sister, his friend, on October 19th, 1999
Tenth anniversary:
Barb donated a kidney to her brother on October 1st, 2001. He was re-transplanted 6 days later.
Ellen Souviney donated a kidney to a friend on October 2nd, 2001
Michelle Nichols donated a kidney to a stranger on October 29th, 2001
Ninth anniversary:
Mary DeLeeuw donated a kidney to a friend on October 8th, 2002
Janice Uible donated a kidney to her husband on October 29th, 2002
Eighth anniversary:
Tina Alvarez donated a kidney to her sister on October 13th, 2003
Stephanie Powell donated a kidney to a stranger on October 21st, 2003
Marilyn Zeller-Walker donated a kidney to her daughter on October 28th, 2003
Seventh anniversary:
Lynn Cosgrove donated a kidney anonymously on October 12th, 2004
Samuel R. Smitty II donated a kidney to an unrelated person on October 20th, 2004
Gladys Sanders donated a kidney to her daughter on October 29th, 2004
Sixth anniversary:
Angela Dale donated a kidney to her friend, Charles Coats, on October 19th, 2005
Ruth Woodhall donated a kidney to her cousin, Alan, on October 27th, 2005
Fifth anniversary:
Patty-Lynn Gouthro donated a kidney to her sister on October 4th, 2006
Vince C. donated a kidney to his wife on October 17th, 2006
Amanda Mathenia donated a kidney to her father, Terry, on October 25th, 2006
Fourth anniversary:
Lauren Chavis donated a kidney to Christina Hill on October 2nd, 2007
Kim Jackson donated her left kidney to her mother on October 5th, 2007
Ann Davis donated a kidney to her husband on October 22nd, 2007
Khalifa Al Shaibani donated a kidney to his brother, Hamad, on October 26th, 2007
Diane Curtiss donated a kidney to her husband on October 30th, 2007
Third anniversary:
Nathan Pearl donated a kidney to his sister on October 7th, 2008
Anne-Marie Meyer donated her right kidney to her friend Susie on October 14th, 2008
Lorrie Whitfield donated a kidney to her husband on October 15th, 2008
Carole Stueben donated a kidney to her father on October 16th, 2008
Oliver Foggin donated a kidney to a friend on October 17th, 2008
Kathy Harris donated a kidney to her husband on October 23rd, 2008
Sarah McDaniel donated a kidney to a stranger in a list exchange on October 27th, 2008 (her mother received a deceased-donor kidney four weeks later)
Second anniversary:
Faith McKinney donated a kidney to her cousin's husband, Steve Carter, on October 20th, 2009
Carmen Manning donated a kidney to her father on October 23rd, 2009
Phil Hoover gave his left kidney to one of his college professors from more than 20 years ago on October 28th, 2009
First anniversary:
Scott Jenkins donated a kidney to a stranger in need on October 22nd, 2010
Topic: October 2011 Anniversaries (Read 4711 times)