Anyone who has been on dialysis knows that it is a grueling process and can run down any person. The day that person is told they are going to live a little longer because someone is giving them a kidney is one of the most soul rejuvenating things a person can hear.

I have family that is going through this right now. The recipient, who is a distant family member on my dad’s side, has been on dialysis for two years now. My dad recently whipped his health into shape so he could try to donate a kidney to this family member.

I am so proud of him for this. He lost a lot of weight and tried hard to improve his health habits. Though he still has some work to do, he has already succeeded in my eyes.

Long story short, we found out that he can donate his kidney. My dad, somewhat emotional, called to tell me the good news this week. I could hear the relief.

I won’t go into detail, but there were a few hurdles to jump before we knew for sure. Scans of all sorts, psych evaluations and approval from the board. Then, my dad had to call the whole family to let them know. I told him he should start a phone tree with the amount of family members we have.

In the end, though, it ended up being a win-win situation for everyone.

Now, all we have to do is wait for the procedure and hope the kidney is accepted by the recipient’s system.