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Last spring, I got the call we’d been waiting from my newly appointed transplant coordinator. With a warm and friendly voice she told me the compatibility testing showed that I could be a kidney donor for my husband, John.

Wahoo!

The testing determines three levels of compatibility: Blood typing, tissue typing and crossmatching.

Our blood was a match. And the tissue typing indicated we were matched for two specific antigens out of a possible six that kidney doctors look at. Even though only two antigens matched, immunosuppressive drugs have improved so much it is not necessary to be a perfect match, especially when the kidney is from a living donor. The crossmatching showed that John would probably be able to accept my kidney.

Could it really be possible that I could do this? That I could truly extend John’s life? How could I be so lucky?

So here we go! Down to UCLA for donor testing day. We knew nothing about the transplant program at UCLA. Through a friend, John had found a UCLA kidney doctor familiar with his disease. Since UCLA is one of the largest transplant centers in the country, it seemed the logical place. So there we were.

At that screening day, I met others lined up trying to be donors. One woman hoped to donate to her son whose kidneys were failing. Another, who did not have kidney disease, had a brother and sister who both did; they needed her help. All seemed fellow travelers.

Donors are tested extensively for the sake of their own health and that of the recipient. That first day’s tests included a creatinine clearance test (helps determine kidney function), laboratory blood and urine work (they took zillions of vials of blood), EKG, chest x-ray, blood pressure, a CT urogram with intravenous dye and a visit with a transplant psychiatrist. The day ended with an exam by a transplant nephrologist.

My good health has always seemed like a gift to me and I feel grateful for it. I hoped all my test results would be perfect.. But the kidney doctor told me, without seeing any of my bloodwork, that I would need lots more tests. I worried about that. I wanted to be approved before John’s kidneys failed.

As time went by and the tests dragged on, I wondered if my luck would hold. John’s kidney function was dropping rapidly: 18 percent, 16 percent and falling.

Next: More testing and Dr. Google!