I'm asked all the time what prompted me to donate a kidney to a complete stranger and it’s a really hard question to answer. There isn’t really one definitive answer, but Canadian Blood Services certainly played a role in the decision. It was after donating platelets one day over 12 years ago that I saw a brochure on living kidney donation that was on the table. I read it and made the decision that I could and should be donating more than just platelets. After a ton of tests and one unfortunate delay, I flew to Toronto, checked into the hospital and gave a complete stranger a kidney.
It’s what has happened since then that is really cool. Donating the kidney has changed my life. I feel like I got as much if not more out of donating than whoever got the kidney. The benefits it has brought me are far too many to list here, but you can be assured my donor journey is far from over.
