Annette Sister Donor

Daniella Duke Needs A LIVING Kidney DONOR

Getting a chance to give a kidney

Twenty-one years ago I was able to donate a kidney to my sister Daniella. I was grateful that I could do this. It was probably one of the most meaningful moments of my life to be able to help my sister in a way that allowed her to live her life fully with her family.

Having one kidney has never affected my ability to do anything. At the time I donated the kidney I was 41, I am 62 now. Donating a kidney never got in the way of my raising my son (who is now 23), playing sports, walking, traveling in my pop-up van, tap dancing, gardening, working, hanging out with my sisters and their families, and doing all that I love.

I don’t share the fact that I donated a kidney with everyone, but when I do tell people, the reaction that emerges is so positive and elicits a deeper human connection and it makes me feel satisfied again that I was able to do this. How often do you get a chance to affect someone’s life in this way? I often feel like I was the lucky one.

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