As a nephrologist, I’ve spent years watching patients on dialysis endure the uncertainty, pain, and emotional strain of waiting for a kidney transplant. The toll it takes on them and their families is something I see up close every day. Their resilience is remarkable, but their suffering is deeply impactful to witness. Even after overcoming my own battle with cancer, I knew I was still healthy enough to do something meaningful—something that could genuinely change lives. That’s what led me to make one of the most important decisions of my life: I donated a kidney.
For years, I kept my kidney donation private. It wasn’t something I did for recognition or praise—it was a deeply personal choice. I donated my kidney not out of obligation, but because I felt a profound responsibility as both a human being and a physician to help alleviate the suffering I saw around me. I knew that my donation could be a way to make a lasting impact on someone’s life, and that was enough for me.
My donation was what’s known as an undirected donation—also called an altruistic donation. This means I didn’t know the recipient, and that was a choice I made deliberately. In Canada, most kidney transplants come from deceased donors, and living donations, especially undirected ones, are rare. But the beauty of an undirected donation is that it has the potential to create a chain reaction. My kidney could go to someone who didn’t have a match, and in turn, their loved one might be able to donate to someone else. This ripple effect can lead to multiple transplants, meaning my single donation could help more people than if I had simply donated to one person.
For me, that possibility of creating a chain of life-saving transplants was a powerful motivation. While I don’t know the full details of what happened after my kidney was donated, I’ve been told that a chain of transplants did occur as a result. That knowledge alone brings me immense peace and satisfaction, knowing that my donation helped not just one person, but multiple people who were waiting for hope to arrive.
From a health perspective, donating a kidney has had no negative impact on my life. I get regular check-ups, and I’ve remained healthy. But beyond the physical aspect, the experience has profoundly shaped my perspective on life and my role as a doctor. It has reinforced my belief that we all have the power to alleviate suffering in the world, whether through small acts of kindness or life-altering decisions like kidney donation.
For me, donating a kidney wasn’t just about my medical expertise—it was about acknowledging the suffering of those around me and taking action to help. That single act of generosity has strengthened my commitment to my patients and reaffirmed my dedication to making a positive difference in the world.
Being a kidney donor has made me more aware of the profound impact one person can have on another’s life, and it’s a reminder that we all have the capacity to contribute to the well-being of those around us. Whether through medical work, personal sacrifice, or small acts of compassion, we can all find ways to make a lasting difference.