Both of my sisters attended the launch of the book. The Star Tribune newspaper took some photos of us. We hope the caption reads: three sisters, seven kidneys between us! Despite each of my sisters having had a transplant, both of them still have their diseased kidneys. Each sister has three kidneys. Many people are surprised to learn this fact. Sometimes diseased polycystic kidneys are removed prior to transplantation because of complications or size. Many times the patient is too ill to withstand the removal of their diseased kidneys during the transplant of the new kidney. This was the case for my sisters. Polycystic kidneys can weigh up to thirty-eight pounds.
One of my sisters has been told her diseased kidneys weigh twenty pounds each! She would love to have them removed, but she is afraid of an infection or complication that would jeopardize the transplanted kidney she received from a donor in 1995. New kidneys are hard to come by – they don’t grow on trees. April is Donate Life Month. Help us increase organ donor awareness! Two people saved my Mom and my sister because they were organ donors. We are one grateful family.
