In 2003, at the age of 26, my daughter became ill with ecoli from eating contaminated food. She was very ill, spending 3 weeks in ICU, 2 more weeks in the hospital, and then almost 4 months receiving daily hospital treatment due to the devastating side effects of her illness. She finally stabilized and then spent 3 years on dialysis before she was deemed stable enough to receive a transplant. Her older brother, my son, was happy to donate one of his kidneys to her, and so he did as he was a good match for her. Since that time, 10 years ago, my daughter has returned to a normal active life. She has had some challenges with the side effects of the anti-rejection medicines, but feels they are a small price to pay for the life she has. My son recovered quickly from his donation surgery and has not had any problems. As a family, this experience has taught us to never take life for granted, and we treasure the time we have together. Life is a gift, and our priorities have gone from just going through life to stopping and appreciating what we have, and really being present when we are together. My daughter and I were on the list to donate organs long before she became ill, and we continue to stay on the list, as now we truly appreciate the gift of organ donation.
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