Jack and I just celebrated our 8 week anniversary. All relationships take work and I know we are still in the honeymoon phase of things, but I can’t imagine my life without him. See I was literally dying before he came along and he made me feel alive again. All facts. Sometimes I forget how sick I really was - I was just reminiscing with a friend thinking of why I wasn’t present at a party. Oh Yeah - I forgot I was dying. Literally everything was so hard. I know most post kidney transplant recipients need to lose weight due to a combination of dialysis and/or prednisone but I lost too much weight before transplant. I am happy to report that I am up 8lbs. Which doesn’t look like much but I am very happy about it. I am also getting more physical, walking and even doing a little indoor cycling. So once I can start getting back to my strength training and my dead lifts the quality gainz will return.

I have been reaching out to those I see on Social Media struggling to create a Kidney Campaign. Some people are very hesitant to accept my help. Many don’t like the idea of asking for help. Some might think I am some weirdo lady being nice and expecting something in return. ATTN: ANYONE READING THIS THAT HAS QUESTIONS/NEEDS HELP GETTING STARTED - MY OFFER IS LEGIT.

My life was saved though the generosity of my living donor, my brother. But the journey started with a friend, who took time to share my story and actively reach out, connecting me to a stranger (now SUPER FRIEND) who had donated 15 years ago and had living donor strategy, who taught me how to apply my creative talent and the talent of friends with STRATEGY. VOILA! Life Saved.

The thing is when you need a life saving transplant - it won’t just come to you. You can’t assume that people know how how to help you. Sharing your story with a clear call to action as to HOW people can help can save your life and the lives of others.

So to close out April, National Donate Life Month please read this story. Courtesy of Living Kidney Donor Network. We could all be doing more to help each other.

The Starfish Thrower - Story by Joel Barker & Loren Eiseley

Once upon a time, there was a wise man, who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a young man moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out, and if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It made a difference for that one!"

His response surprised the man. He was upset. He didn't know how to reply. So instead, he turned away and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of the young man haunted him. He tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted. Finally, late in the afternoon he realized that he had missed out on the essential nature of the young man's actions. Because he realized that what the young man was doing was choosing not just to be an observer in the universe and watch it pass by, but was choosing to be an actor in the universe and make a difference. He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed troubled. When the morning came he awoke knowing that he had to do something. So he got up, went to the beach and found the young man. And with him he spent the rest of the morning throwing starfish into the ocean. You see, what that young man's actions represent is something that is special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can, like that young man, become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future.

There is no greater joy or greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life. -Sister Mary Rose McGeady