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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Organ donations are literally the gift of life and healing

Monica Bloom

April is National Donate Life Month – a time to celebrate those who have saved lives through the gift of organ, eye and tissue donation and encourage others to register to be donors. This acknowledgment was established by Donate Life America and its partnering organizations in 2003. Throughout the month, organizations across the nation coordinate activities to recognize and promote the magnitude of this gift.

This topic is something that is very important to me. In fact, I am alive and healthy today because of organ donation.

I was 14 years old when I received my kidney failure diagnosis. Both of my parents were tested to be living kidney donors and both were equally matched to donate. My dad said that since my mom gave me life the first time, it was his turn. I did dialysis for around four months while he completed the necessary work. As an only child, our little family was always extremely close, however this experience uniquely bonded us like nothing else could. I received his kidney in 2001, at 17 years old.

My dad’s kidney enabled me to graduate from high school and attend college. When I was 23, I met and married my husband, David. Thanks to my dad’s gift, I was able to move from Washington to North Carolina where my husband was stationed for military duty.

Eventually, my dad’s kidney started to fail. Around the same time we discovered the failure, my husband received military orders to Fairbanks, Alaska. Because there was no resident nephrologist there, I was not allowed to accompany him. I moved home to where my parents and health care team were located, was listed for a transplant and told to expect a very long wait. In 2011, I was placed on dialysis. Three days a week, three and a half hours at a time.

Dialysis is a double-edged sword. It’s a literal life saver, and yet was the most miserable experience of my life. It’s exhausting, painful, and mentally grueling. I got awful migraines, would vomit uncontrollably for hours, and the fatigue … oh the extreme fatigue! I would spend all my time on the couch, taking anti-nausea medications. Because your body can’t process toxin or excrete fluids, you must be extremely careful about what you eat and your fluid intake. I was only allowed 32 ounces a day, including liquid from fruit, soup, even ketchup! I’m a visual person and enjoyed feeling like I was able to have a full portion of food/drink. We went to the toddler section and bought small Clifford the Big Red Dog juice boxes and a six-ounce cup with floating sea creatures so I could drink an entire glass with a meal. Mind games … they worked.

I was able to visit my husband for 90 days at a time, and received dialysis while I was there. It was during one such visit, in April 2012, that my miracle happened. The transplant team at Sacred Heart contacted me with the news that I was the primary for the kidney!

On April 25, 2012, I received my gift of life. My donor was a 20-year-old named Megan. In her death, she saved three lives through organ donation. Every day that I awaken free of dialysis, fatigue, and nausea is only because of her amazing, selfless, life-saving gift. Now, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are no longer dialysis days, they’re just days. Days which Megan’s gift of life has given me the freedom to enjoy, freely, and with a full, 32-ounce water bottle to be refilled as many times as I wish.

I live for both of us now, Megan’s kidney and myself!

In honor of National Donate Life Month, and my second chance at life, I ask you to consider your role in this lifesaving and healing journey. You can save lives and inspire others to provide hope through donor registration and living donation. Additionally, it’s important to talk to your loved ones about organ donation and let them know your wishes.

If you would like to learn more about donation, or register to be a donor, you can visit LifeCenter Northwest at www.lcnw.org.

Monica Bloom is a two-time kidney transplant recipient. She lives in Spokane.