An Attempted Donor's Perspective

For those who don't know me, I am Lauren Shellenbarger and I have been Shane's wife for over 33 years. When we found out that Shane needed a kidney, we contacted Mayo Clinic and started the process for Shane to be evaluated. We found out that a kidney from a live donor is better for the recipient than a kidney from a deceased donor. I also found out that you do not have to be match to be part of the donor process. I immediately contacted Mayo about being part of a chain donation process (where I would donate my kidney to someone for whom I am a match (blood type B) and then someone who has a kidney that matched Shane (blood type A) would donate to him. However, Shane was not immediately eligible for a Kidney. He needed to have a quadruple bypass and finish his cardiac rehab first. So, he did not become eligible for a donation until Spring 2018.

Several awesome people came forward to be tested, but no one qualified, so I thought I would try. All of my cancer screenings were up to date, so I was scheduled quickly to go through the testing. I had blood tests, an EKG, ultrasounds, CT scan, an interesting test to see how well my kidneys functioned, and had to wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours. I met with social workers, nurses, physician assistants, and doctors. Everyone at Mayo was amazing, kind, caring and made the tests as simple as possible. They were all cheering for me and I was doing really well. I looked to be an almost perfect candidate. Then, the kidney function test came back showing that I was borderline to be a donor. So, they had me do the test again and the results were even worse. I just did not have enough kidney function to donate one of my kidneys.

I can't express how disappointed I was to hear this. It broke my heart that I could not do this thing for the man I love...for my soul mate. I know it is a big ask to be tested, but I hope that someone wants to make a difference in not just Shane's life, but mine and all his friends' and family's lives as well.

The good news from all this is that my kidneys still function enough for me and if I die in an unfortunate accident, both of my kidneys together would be a viable transplant for someone in need. If you can't donate now, please consider being an organ donor when you pass.

For more information, feel free to contact me at kidneyforshane@gmail.com