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Living Donor Tribute 4 Awareness

Living Donor Tribute 4 Awareness

As a recipient whose life was profoundly changed by a living kidney donor, I’m deeply baffled by the absence of recognition for living kidney donors. I’ve spent countless hours trying to reconcile the magnitude of what I and many others have received. And though I know this has never been about a fair exchange—even if that were possible, my heart (and new kidney) are constantly seeking moral balance.

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Living Donor Portrait: Raegan Johnson

Living Donor Portrait: Raegan Johnson

While in college, Raegan Johnson’s mom started dialysis, but Raegan didn’t really know what it all meant. She knew her mom had lost a lot of weight, and that she was receiving treatment, but Raegan didn’t make the connection that her kidneys were failing.  Her mom was...

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Living Donor Portrait: Rori Block

Living Donor Portrait: Rori Block

Rori Block donated a kidney to her Dad in 2012. When asked what motivated her to do it, her answer was pretty straightforward: “He’s my Dad!” His kidneys had been declining for over twelve years…

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Living Donor Portrait: Kelly Gatlin

Living Donor Portrait: Kelly Gatlin

Kelly Gatlin’s husband Joe has Alport Syndrome, a genetic disease that he has had his entire life. They both knew that he would eventually need a new kidney. Joe had seen other family members with the disease languish on dialysis…

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Living Donor Portrait: Eldonna Edwards

Living Donor Portrait: Eldonna Edwards

Eldonna Edwards is a Good Samaritan donor whose donation story is told in the 2013 documentary film Perfect Strangers and in the book Lost in Transplantation: Memoir of an Unconventional Organ Donor. She initially learned about living kidney donation while having lunch with a community college classmate….

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Living Donor Portrait: Jill Laker

Living Donor Portrait: Jill Laker

Diabetes runs in Jill Laker’s family. Her older sister developed type 1 diabetes during her second pregnancy. She managed it well, but stress and other health issues eventually led to kidney failure. Her sister started peritoneal home dialysis and after a three-year wait, she received a new kidney from a deceased donor….

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Living Donor Portrait: Lauren Naccarelli

Living Donor Portrait: Lauren Naccarelli

Lauren Naccarelli is a kind, humble woman with a strong desire to help people. To celebrate her 28th birthday, she performed “28 acts of kindness,” such as mailing letters to influential people in her life and assembling a group of friends to give flowers to random people on the street….

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Living Donor Portrait: Anne Patnode

Living Donor Portrait: Anne Patnode

In 2007, Anne donated a kidney to her friend of 20 years. As former nurses, they were both familiar with kidney disease. During her career, she had also volunteered as a parish nurse. She, along with her husband, had temporarily cared for a man with kidney disease....

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Living Donor Portrait: Anthony Brown

Living Donor Portrait: Anthony Brown

Anthony’s mom has had diabetes for most of her life, but her kidney function had never been tested. In 2012 year, she went to see her doctor because of some stomach pain. Her doctor ran some tests. Results concluded that she had an ulcer. But she also learned...

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