Some of you may be wondering - what now? We got the word out, we got an incredible response, what is happening? To be honest, we don't know EXACTLY what is going on (but we're pretty sure that isn't Mike's new kidney hiding between our houseplants... thanks, Kara!).
We are letting the amazing staff at the Beth Israel Deaconess Transplant Institute do their thing. The process of screening applicants is well underway, we know quite a few people have had blood work done, and the most appropriate candidate will move/has moved to the full screening (which can take up to six weeks). With some luck someone willing and super healthy will be approved shortly so we will again have a plan in place. They may go through a few candidates, and if anyone washes out I hope it's for a reason as acceptable as mine and not anything serious!
The screening process is deliberately anonymous and we totally respect that! Donating a kidney is a big decision and volunteers have every right to go through the full process and learn everything they can about it, about their own health, about what it really entails, before committing to it or discussing it with us (or anyone else, for that matter). So, we take a step back at this point and trust BIDMC to tell us if we need to do anything to help them. And we trust in all of you that the right person has stepped forward!
Thank you, ALL, for making this a rather incredible experience and for giving us so much faith that we are almost back on track.
Ever gratefully, Samantha (& Mike)