Not a big enough bottle for the 24 hour urine test Sunday, October 12, 2003, the day before the barrage of testing, I began the dreaded twenty-four hour urine collection. Why must we collect a full day’s worth? This test is a more accurate measure of creatinine levels. Since creatinine is a muscle by-product, the more …[ read more ]

Within a week, as promised, we had the initial results of the typing. The first measure–blood type. Prior to the “Results Show,” the DeFord audience had elected Bob by a vote of 5-1 (guess who had been the lone dissenter?). Only those with A+ blood needed to apply, as that matched Alan. Only Art and …[ read more ]

Alan and family today After the phlebotomist took vial after vial after vial of blood, I returned to my siblings in the waiting room, Here I discovered the problems of leaving my brothers and sisters unattended while the vampire (aka phlebotomist) emptied my blood. They read the information about organ donation that Mt. Sinai thought …[ read more ]

My family: Alan far left-back–I’m three to the right of him. A dear friend currently faces failed kidneys –something that happened to my brother, Alan, about ten years ago. In honor of my friend and her quest to find new kidneys, I’d like to take some time to chronicle my own path as an organ donor . My …[ read more ]