Liz Young shares her story about donating a kidney.
Who is "Righty Ruthie"?
Since I named "Lefty Louise" for my left kidney which was transplanted into the recipient, of course my right kidney needed a nickname! The name "Ruthie" means "friend." This is meaningful since I am now embarking on living with one kidney - so we better be good friends! 😁 (Picture on the right was taken the day after I came home!)
The morning after the surgery was filled with tests and visits from lots of staff from UC Health. I was really happy when my surgeon stopped in to see me and shared that the recipient is doing well. (All I know is my recipient is a few years older than me and lives in Pennsylvania).
Once I was home, I felt grateful not to be in much pain. However, I was uncomfortable from all the air that was pumped into my abdominal area. Taking short walks helped me feel better. I love walking at sunset, so my mom and I had some great evening strolls.
What's the best way to recover?
Prancercising!
Five days after my kidney donation I needed to add some humor to my walks. They say laughter is the best medicine, so I was recovering more and more each time I laughed! 😂 If you are not familiar with how to Prancercise, you can learn from Joanna Rohrback in her Oscar-worthy video.
If anyone has connections to Joanna, please share my blog with her, and invite her to do a Prancercise video with me! I think we'd be nominated for an award like "Best short film used for recovery from kidney donation." 🎥🥇🏆
What's the Donor Dash?
I learned about the event a few days after I got home from the hospital. The annual Donor Dash 5K honors the lives of organ and tissue donors, celebrates the lives of transplant recipients and recognizes those who continue to wait for
a lifesaving transplant.
The weekend after my kidney donation was the annual Donor Dash 5K. I was feeling good, so my mom and I walked (slowly) the 5K/3.1 miles together. It was a profound event seeing the thousands of people all supporting organ and tissue donation.
The reactions I received from all the people I met were very uplifting. Everyone was shocked that I'd donated a kidney 6 days before. People kept saying, "you just did the 5K?" And I said, "Yes, walking slowly." And of course my mom chimed in, "Her slow pace is my normal pace!" It was a special event, and I'm excited to attend again next year.
What's better than an Ironman medal?
A Living Donor medal!
One week after my kidney donation I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon, transplant coordinator, and social worker. They all said I'm doing great!
The weeks following my surgery I walked slowly, and gradually increased mileage.
After about a week of short walks throughout the day, I needed more "entertainment" because I was getting bored. I started to focus on my senses, specifically what I could see or hear. I started listening to and counting the different types of birds chirping. It was like eavesdropping on their conversations! On another walk I counted how many animals I could see and hear: dogs, rabbits, squirrels, birds, snakes (seeing and hearing), and a frog.
Yep, a distant relative to Kermit! 🐸 Withing the first 3 weeks following the surgery, I walked 74 miles. Yep, I was Forrest Gump when it came to walking.