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My inspiration to become a living kidney donor...

I was inspired to donate because of my husband and hero, Tony Cooper. Watching him donate his kidney to save our dear friend, Deirdre and watching her, literally, come back to life while Tony returned to a healthy, normal life, was all the proof and inspiration I needed to see the massive impact of being a live organ donor. Not to mention the impact of relief it had on Deirdre's family, and that she no longer had to spend her days tethered to dialysis and recovering at home in between. She is finally free and can move about the planet. A huge success story and a true miracle!

I learned that through Tony and Deirdre’s experience that 16 people die each day because the organ they need is not donated in time. I didn't know anyone personally that needed my kidney, so I signed up with NKR, the National Kidney Registry. I was immediately contacted by an advocate, nurse and an altruistic donor, who turned out to be a great mentor and support through the process and has become someone that I consider a friend. We’re in the “one kidney club”!

After I went through extensive testing through UCSF, all paid for by NKR, I was given the green light to donate my kidney, which I did on August 7th, 2024, at the age of 57. The surgery and recovery were very much like a c-section, except for 4 small incisions made on my left side to detach my left kidney. They then retrieved it through the same incision that my daughter, Olivia was born from. I called Lefty or “Kiddo” my 3^rd birth. The big difference was this time I didn’t have a baby to take care of and could focus on myself. I had a smooth and easy recovery with the help of Tony and my dear friend, Kris. After two weeks, I was pretty much back to doing most things for myself. I am so grateful for the exceptional care I have had through UCSF and my surgeon, Dr. Chris Friese. From the first test, through my recovery and follow up, I give them a 10 out of 10! 

Because of the testing, I learned that I am a really healthy person...what a gift! It really woke me up that I had been taking that for granted. Not since high school, had I exercised regularly. If I was going to be a donor, I wanted to give a quality product. So, I started working out, about 8 months before I scheduled surgery, running and doing yoga. Establishing a yoga practice before the donation, turned out to be a huge help in my recovery. Doing gentle yoga, within a week of post op, got me back on track and continue with a commitment to take care of myself, especially now that I only had one kidney.

Tony and I have been asking ourselves, what's next? How can we become ambassadors or advocates so we can tell our stories and hopefully inspire others to get tested and qualify to donate. In a troubled world where it can be hard to know how to make a difference, kidney disease is a curable issue with the help of kidney donors. This walk is a way to continue sharing our story...as a two-kidney couple. We are also doing it as part of our training for a half marathon in Eugene the end of April. Something neither of us have ever done before. But I’m proving to myself, I am strong, I am healthy, and I can do hard things.

I have been making notes about things in my life I found to be harder than donating a kidney that might help others understand. I recognize we all have different experiences and tolerance for pain, these are my own…

…training for a ½ marathon, natural childbirth, heartbreak…losing someone you care about, the death of my mother and the death of any person or animal I ever loved, watching people suffer, migraine headaches, kidney stones, living with undiagnosed depression for most of my life, side effects of an unknown morphine allergy after my c-section, saying goodbye to my kids after dropping them off at college and the months of heartache missing them that followed…to name a few.

Choosing to donate a part of my body I do not need has been one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. My life is better because of it. I am awake. I am grateful. I am in the best health of my life. The community of people I have become connected with are truly inspiring and have left me in awe and brought me to tears with their stories of heartbreak and triumph.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and consider donating to my campaign to help raise awareness and save lives. I set my fundraising goal at $807, the day I donated, Aug 7th. 

With love and gratitude, Tamee