She started with a familiar phrase, “I’d like to be… a kidney donor for…” but her tone was unusual.
She was quiet, still, sincere, and courageous. Her questions were routine but she wanted to say more. As it turns out, there is a condition that will be with her for the rest of her life and an illness that would make donation dangerous.
This young lady knew before she called that giving her gift would be improbable but in her own words, “I had to try. I wanted to know. I couldn’t watch his condition deteriorate and not call you to find out if this were even possible.”
This beautiful person has been walking uphill all her life and came upon someone facing a steeper path and a stronger headwind.
Of her motivation she said simply, “Over the last few months we’ve become closer…”
Such selflessness deserves an honest effort.
We ended this part of our talk with a promise that by the end of the day she would have an answer to the question on her mind for weeks: can I overcome my unlucky past and give him a better future?
Our team reviewed the details, contemplated the what-if’s, weighed the risks. In the end we all agreed that she cannot be the one to reverse his failing health. It was very difficult to call her back with the information that would break her heart. There was a last minute review of everything we discussed: Maybe if this… or possibly if that… or what if we did…
Sadly, in the end her sincererity and her hope had to be laid to rest gently and respectfully.
She understood the undeniable, almost unreasonable, risks to her own health but she didn’t care. In the end though, after a thorough review of all the facts and all the science, she arrived at the same conclusion: we could not risk making his condition worse. Given her past, this could happen.
She was comforted to know that his family will find another donor but this news was bittersweet. She realized that her lifelong bad luck had stolen yet one more happiness — she’ll never experience the joy of being the one to give good health back to her Love.
Her tears fell gently on the phone and it sounded like the rain.
