I was in bed for 1 week. The good thing was when I went to the doctor I told him what I was planning to do with my kidney. He found it slightly unusual, but he took a blood and urine sample for his evaluation. He was pleased at the results which took about 5 minutes. Although my face blisters were itchy and swollen, I was otherwise in overall good health.
Mariama, whom I still barely knew, did call a few days later with the name and number of the Transplant Coordinater, Nancy. It took a few attempts before I could reach Nancy on the phone but when I did...the ball was rolling. She asked several health history questions, said I was a good candidate and told me to come in for blood analysis.
October 14th Mariama, Nick and I went to the Transplant Center in Boston. We met with 1 Nurse, 2 Nephrologists (Kidney doctors) and the Transplant Coordinator. WOW..what a process. We were brought up to speed on Mariama's condition and I needed to give blood to confirm blood type and cross match compatibility. They took 9 vials of blood that morning. Did I mention I have a slight issue with needles? Nancy told me the results would take 2-3 weeks. When we left, my head was spinning. The wait was on!
Note to self: My son Theo, (named after my father Theodore) has a heart shaped birthmark on his ankle. I always looked at it as a sign of gratitude from my Dad for naming Theo after him.
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