If you haven't done so yet, please volunteer to become an organ donor.

((((farmergirl)))) - thanks for sharing your story. I am sad for your loss.

Yes, there is a lot of criteria that a recipient has to meet. Some of it is due to the fact that there are not enough donors for the number of potential recipients. Some of the criteria is rightly put into place because many potential recipients would struggle to handle the stress and changes from a transplant. Some is put in place so that potential recipients will take ownership over certain lifestyle choices that they can change.

My husband was on the waiting list for over 5 years. His health reached a point where he was close to being on his deathbed and was moved on to the top names on the UNOS waiting list. We lived in a hotel for 5 weeks, far from home and hoped a donor organ would become available.

Finally, one did - but someone even more ill (with the same blood type) ended up getting it. It was mentally and emotionally devastating for both of us! We were exhausted and decided to go home.

One month later, we were racing to catch a plane. This time my husband did get the transplant. Another 5 weeks living in the hotel while he recuperated - every day he had to go in for tests to check whether his body would reject it. He became temporarily diabetic and the Prednisone made him crazy hyper... the list of other reactions and complications is long.

We are lucky because 5 years later my husband is still with me. But, each week our kitchen table looks like a pharmacy as we fill his daily pill containers for the following week with about 20 different meds. He has to check in with doctors every month. Much of our life revolves around the residual physical effects from the transplant.

p.s. My husband was signed up to be an organ donor for all of the years before his transplant.