Donating
Spares Needed!
Yesterday (at dinner) was the climax of this ride, The Organ Trail TOT 5.0, Lynn’s Kidney Donation Journey.
When Lynn donated her kidney in January 10th of 2023 at UW Health in Madison Wisconsin, she named 2 year old Cooper Thompson living in Minneapolis Minneasota of I’m awesome, it’s my kidneys that suck – Coopers journey through CKD, as her National Kidney Registry Voucher Recipient. That meant that although Lynn’s kidney wasn’t a match for Cooper, Cooper was going to receive a life saving kidney because Lynn donated one.
The NKR found the best match for Lynn’s kidney in a person living in Illinois.
The NKR started looking for the most perfectly matched kidney for Cooper starting January 11th, 2023.
For almost 2 months the NKR monitored their 103 transplant centers all across the United States to find that one special kidney.
In February of 2023, a young lady named Ali Hansen, who grew up in Iowa and had interned for the Iowa Donor Network where she learned about living kidney donation, scheduled her kidney donation surgery. Ali did not know anyone that needed a kidney so she donated non-directed and her kidney entered the NKR “pool” of kidneys.
By this time Ali had moved to Minneapolis and was scheduled to have her surgery on March 2nd, 2023 at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis.
Cooper received his kidney from Ali the same day.
Cooper and Ali met in 2023 as did Lynn and Cooper.
Lynn and Ali had never met till yesterday as June 19th, 2024 brought them all together in a very special place, the home of 2 most giving people I know, David-Mary Pramann.
Dave and Mary with the “kids”.
Cooper still has a number of challenges he’s dealing with and his parents Katie and Eric Thompson could use your prayers and support, but this part of his journey has been completed.
