Some words.

A second post within three days? And a title without alliteration? Whatever would possess me?

Well, here's the thing: all weekend I've been back and forth on my decision to share the URL for this blog on my Facebook profile, which I did this past Friday. The choice was made in light of much good-natured badgering by a certain sister, along with rational conversation with wise friends, the same friends who generously remind me to see the forest among the trees on an essentially daily basis.

I was so touched by the kind messages from classmates that followed my post, yet I still find myself awake, at almost 2am on a Sunday night, contemplating the choice. It's not that I don't see the benefit of encouraging visitors to the site. All along, the whole point of this project wasn't to share "my story." Rather, the purpose was always to raise awareness about the issue, which grows in magnitude every day, to generate conversation and incite progress, in some small way.

I suppose I think of myself as a somewhat private person. I never thought of my transplant as a big deal or as a big secret, but before recently, my medical history was never something I planned on sharing with anyone other than my good friends. This blog changed all that, to a certain extent. However self-centered it is, my fear is that friends, classmates, or anyone who happens upon this blog as a result of my public announcement of its existence will think I'm seeking attention or recognition. The long and short of it is that I do not wish to be lionized for living through circumstances I did not choose and for feeling compelled to do something about a matter that is pervasive in my life and in the lives of many, many others.

Phew. I feel much better now that I've said that.

In other news, you might be wondering what your donation could do right now for renal transplant research at Columbia-Presbyterian. I'm so glad you asked! According to Dr. Lloyd Ratner, director of renal transplantation at the medical center, the money you give will help fund studies investigating transplant from "incompatible" donors and the development of alternative sources of organs for transplant (not just renal), such as stem cells and xenografts. On the more immediate horizon, donations will also go into programs that aim to increase access to transplant by pairing patients with living, unrelated donors. If you're thinking about giving, no amount of money is too small.

I will leave you with these statistics, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Organ Donor Initiative website (http://www.organdonor.gov/Default.asp):

-Every 11 minutes, someone is added to the waiting list for an organ.
-On average, 20 people a day die while awaiting an organ transplant.
-According to 2009 statistics, 75% heart transplant recipients, 73% liver recipients, 69% kidney recipients and 54% lung recipients were living 5 years after their transplants.
-One organ donor can save up to eight lives. Wow!