Fulfilling gift - Woman becomes rare living kidney donor

Fulfilling gift - Woman becomes rare living kidney donor
December 04, 2010 12:00 AM
By JENNIFER K. HASAMEAR
For The Telegraph

Angela Stimpson is one of about 100 people this year to volunteer to be an altruistic living kidney donor who has no recipient designated to receive their donated kidney.

"I became interested in being a living kidney donor after overhearing a conversation from a co-worker about his sister that needed to have yet another transplant - she was on number four," said Stimpson, 42, an Alton native and graphic artist living in Schenectady, N.Y.

"I did not know at that time that a donor could be virtually anyone, and that you didn't need to be a relative to be a match for someone. This is not a common thing for someone to do, but I hope that people like me can change that."

Stimpson said she found it to be an easy decision to become a living kidney donor.

"When someone asks me 'Why did you do this,' my response is typically 'because I can,'" she said. "I'm in great health and cherish my ability to live so freely without any physical or medical complications. How could I not give a nugget of my health to someone that needed it, with such little sacrifice?"

Even after her two-hour kidney removal surgery, Stimpson said she has never regretted her decision or even given it a second thought.

"This gift was the most meaningful thing I will ever do in my life and I can't tell you how fulfilling it's been for me. I have enjoyed every step of this journey," she said.

Throughout the process that started last April, Stimpson had to get medical clearance from her doctor, from the National Kidney Registry and from Weill-Cornell - the hospital where she had her final tests and eventually her surgery.

"At times, I was a bit anxious and impatient, but I learned to be more patient with each stage of this process," she said. "It was like waiting for your grade on an entrance exam to get into a prestigious college."

Her recovery has gone smoothly. Only six days after her surgery, she was already walking four miles. And four weeks after the surgery, she was running.

About a month after her surgery, she received a letter from the person who received her kidney.

"I can honestly say it was the most moving experience in my life. I was so touched and I think of her every day," she said. "I never thought I would hear from her, so receiving that in the mail was a joy for me."

Along with being a living kidney donor, Stimpson is an active volunteer with Our Brothers' Keepers Foundation, a nonprofit organization to help people living with HIV and AIDS. She plans to become more active in the living kidney donor community to help others who are considering being a donor.

Stimpson has a blog of her entire journey from the beginning to present day at http://oksolo.blogspot.com/.

http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/kidney-47731-living-donor.html