I recently read a story that amazed me so much I wanted to share it with you.
It started when Rick Ruzzamenti, a New Yorker, decided to donate a kidney after hearing a story about organ donation at his local yoga studio.
The result?
One altruistic act started a chain of events that linked 60 people, including 30 kidney-transplant recipients.
You see, we only need one kidney for our body to function, yet are born with two. So this second kidney can be donated to someone whose own kidneys are failing.
A number of factors go into determining whether a kidney is eligible to be transplanted in a particular recipient, including blood type and antibodies.
In the US, it’s now possible for donors to “exchange” kidneys. If a prospective donor’s kidney doesn’t match the intended recipient, they can donate their kidney to someone else in exchange for receiving a matching kidney for their recipient.
This is where Rick came in.
He outright donated his kidney without any need for reciprocity, allowing the chain to start.
The chain continued through 59 more people, with sisters, spouses, and fifth cousins donating kidneys so that their family member could be matched.
One of the most incredible donation stories among the chain links was that of a man who donated a kidney for his ex-girlfriend, so that his 2-year old daughter wouldn’t grow up without a mother.
The advances in both medicine and technology that allowed this chain to occur are truly amazing. One of my staff has a father who had a kidney transplant 25 years ago, in the days before much of this technology was available.
At that time, kidney databases were limited in their ability to match donors with recipients. Most transplanted kidneys came from cadavers or eligible family members, causing long waits on the transplant lists when an eligible family member wasn’t available.
The way this particular chain was put together was through more altruism, this time on the part of an entrepreneur (I’ll tell you about him in my next post).
This story of altruism inspired me. Have you been inspired by altruism you’ve seen? Please leave a comment.
nice post
Aren’t people WONDERFUL. This is a truly love-full story. I admire these people with all my heart.
This is all fine and great but how much effort is being made to detoxify and heal the recipient’s kidneys so they don’t NEED a transplant? I have friends who have worked with people who had very little kidney function who had it totally restored through herbal programs. Life Tree Wellness’ website has some amazing cases documented.
Nature make not mistakes, we have more then we need just in case something goes wrong…, in mamy important parts of ower body we have more then one chance do it right, so you can try again when you couldn`t once…. Nature es amazing and very generous, we should be the same, as the people from the story. Greetings from Peru!
I was truely touched by this article on the front page of the New York TImes last Sunday. I am an advanced practice nurse and my husband a physician- both of us were really impressed with what a couple of individuals are able to do with dedication, intention and the knowledge and money to make a dream come true. How much health dollars are saved by each transplant is also remarkable and politicians should take note as they battle over ways to decrease medicare and other spending.
The story also points to how integral our universe actually is and how recognizing that may sent a chain of real concrete events into motion
Dave, I too have been learning the value of Raw Food, I have seen sreveal friends die of Cancer. The answer so easy. Just learn what your body likes. Get in tune with your body. I feel so much better since I have been learning about Juicing Raw Foods.Thanks for your great example Dave!Shielia Erickson
My young cousin had a kidney transplant years ago. The death of the young mororcyclist and the thoughtful family that donated his kidney gave her many more years of health. She always remembered him on the day he died and the gratitude she felt surely helped her as well. I share some of these blogs with my co-workers who are Health Coaches. The blogs are inspiring, educational and always interesting.
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of suhinsne.
Hi Ruth
Just thinking here…….
Something is bothering me. Did God make a mistake in giving us an extra kidney ? It reminds me of those days when they would remove tonsils without concern…………you don’t need them . Hum………..
Jocelyne, that is exactly what I was thinking. I would hate to donate a kidney or encourage others to do so, only to find out that there is indeed a reason we have two kidneys. There is SOOO much that the medical profession still doesn’t know about the body and what makes it work. Also, I was thinking, what if someone donates a kidney, then has an accident or comes down with an illness that destroys the only one they have left? I imagine we are not the only two people who consider these things when thinking about donating organs while alive. I’m all for donating organs upon death, but while alive? not so much…that being said, I know that this is not a call to donate our kidneys, but rather to think about acts of kindness and how we can help others. Since most of us are therapists, perhaps we already focus on helping others. I’m hoping that all therapists include a few low-fee clients in their practice. I can remember when I was a financially-strapped intern, and we were required to be in therapy with a licensed therapist. I had a very difficult time finding a therapist who would accept me at $40 a session, and the one I found was an absolute nightmare who traumatized me quite deeply, but because I couldn’t afford more than that, I felt stuck with the one I found. So, as I said before, I hope one kind act all therapists can give is to include a few clients who could otherwise not afford therapy.