Dear GMA,

I had a kidney transplant in 1989. I was very lucky, because I come from a Family of 8 and only my brother was compatible,(actually we even had 1 identical gene!) After the failure of my kidneys I was given the choice of Hemo-Dialysis or Peritoneal Dialysis, I took the latter because I did not want to be stuck continually going to the hospital and I did not like being surrounded by all of the other sick people. With Peritoneal Dialysis it was necessary for me to exchange a fluid through a tube surgically implanted in my Peritoneal Cavity (the area that surrounds your intestines), I had to make theses exchanges 4 times a day, but I was still able to work during that time. Finally, after 9 months, I was too sick to continue and the Dialysis was no longer working. If at that time, someone would have offered to sell me a kidney I would have gladly paid as much as necessary for it. Lucky for me it didn't come to that, but people should be extremely aware about the possible dangers to donating a kidney. In the case of my brother, while removing his kidney, he developed an aneurysm in his main artery going to the kidney and he almost died. I was offered by the doctors to go home after 3 days, as all of my kidney function was fully restored, but my brother remained in intensive care for 2 weeks.

Thank God for the Doctors that were able to save his life, but for myself, that would have been too high a price to pay for my own health.

Thanks Ian Stuart Rowley