![donor shirt](/kidneychain/images/people/donor_shirt.jpg)
“It was an easy transition for me, and really no big deal.
"I really never had any fears or reservations, thank goodness. I don’t know why I didn’t because looking back on it, it was a harder decision afterwards than it was before. But that’s what you do for your family. I would have given a kidney for anyone in my family.
“My brother actually wanted to give one of his kidneys to Cathy. He said, ‘I’m retired. I don’t have anything else to do, and I’m healthy. Let me do it,’ but I wouldn’t let him. I told him I couldn’t even live in my house if I let him do it.
“I had a friend that gave a kidney to his nephew, several years ago. He said he had a tough time gaining his strength back, but I really didn’t. After about a month, everything was back to normal for me.
“The man who received my kidney, I met him, and he had been on dialysis three times a week and said he was sick all day long. I can’t imagine how that had changed his life. So that’s the good thing about this. Two lives have been changed in the process, and that’s super neat. I think there are tons of people out there who would give of themselves and not expect to get anything back, just because people need them. There are a lot of good people out there, and that’s the greatest thing.”