The Gift Of Life

Eight months ago I began testing to see if I would be a compatible donor to give my daughter a kidney. At thirty-eight, her kidneys finally gave in to a disease called FSGS (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Syndrome). How this happened to her is a mystery, but it showed up eleven years ago during pregnancy and continued its relentless attack until her kidneys were finally dead. As it turned out, I was a perfect match and on December 2, 2015, I gave a kidney to my daughter.

The kidney I donated has truly given her a new life. The organ began to work as soon as the surgeon unclamped the arteries he used to attach the kidney to my daughters body. After a couple of weeks, her numbers (they measure several through the blood) look like the numbers of a person with two healthy kidneys.

The interesting thing is that a kidney recipient goes into the surgery feeling bad, and comes out feeling better. The donor, however, goes into the surgery feeling good, and comes out feeling bad. Fortunately for me, and all other live kidney donors the bad feelings only last for a while.

This process caused me to think about what Christ did for us. I imagined a conversation with the Father. “Son, the world has been attacked and they are dying. The good news is that your blood is compatible. You can offer people a chance at new life. I know that right now, you feel fine. For this to work, you will need to feel bad for a while. In fact you will need to suffer and die. Don’t worry, I will raise you up and from that point you will feel better, and you can come home. I know this is asking a lot from you, but without your sacrifice, people will continue to die in sin. Are you willing to give people life?”

Amazingly, Jesus was willing to go through the process to give himself so that we may live. He had to give up a lot to become a man, suffer at the hands of his accusers, die, and be raised up on the third day. But the results were worth the sacrifice. The offer of life to those who accept it was worth everything to him.

While my sacrifice was nothing in comparison with the sacrifice that Christ made, I get a small glimpse of the love he had in giving himself. By suffering for a little while, I gave my daughter new life. That makes the sacrifice worth every bit of my temporary suffering.

The practice of live kidney donation has grown in recent years. The kidney is removed from the donor as a fresh and viable organ, and very shortly is placed inside of the recipient, changing their life almost instantly. As a compatible donor, there was never a question of whether or not I would give a piece of myself to my daughter.

I could not end this piece without challenging you to be willing to give a life-giving donation if you are called to do so. Sure, you will feel bad for a while, but in the end you will feel better than ever as you watch the organ you gave completely change the life of the recipient. In the end, you too will gain a glimpse of why Jesus was willing to go to the cross.

To read my daughter’s story follow the link: https://www.youcaring.com/the-taylor-family-465217#YouCaringGives