The Gift of Life, Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, Op-ed

NOTE: The following is an op-ed piece from Peggy Murray, a transplant recipient from Amherst. National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week is April 19-25.

A little over four years ago, I got a birthday present that saved my life -- and it came from a complete stranger.

It was Jan. 14, 2011. I had turned 62 four days earlier, and I had been on the transplant list, waiting for a new kidney, for about six to eight months.

Before that, I travelled to Moncton three times a week for dialysis for about eight months, and I'd been on peritoneal dialysis, at home, for more than two years.

I've always been an energetic person, and I wasn't going to let kidney disease get me down. I still travelled, and spent time with my husband, children and my two grandsons. Still, it was taking a toll on me.

So when I got the call at 2 a.m. that day to come to Halifax for a kidney transplant, my husband and I didn't hesitate. We jumped in the car and drove, in the middle of a snowstorm, to get there.

Later that day, I woke up with a new kidney and a new chance at life. It was a delight, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

It's hard to explain the difference that my transplant made. When I was first diagnosed with kidney disease, I was tired all the time. I'd have a cup of tea and go right back to bed. Housework wasn't on my list -- nothing was on my list. I knew something wasn't right.

Dialysis gave me back some of that energy, but those treatments took hours every week. That's time I wanted to spend with my family and friends, and volunteering. I'm grateful that the treatment was available, but I couldn't have done it forever. Without my kidney transplant, I probably wouldn't be here.

Thanks to a generous stranger who signed an organ donor card, I'm able to enjoy my life fully. I hope that by telling my story, more people will think about signing their organ donor cards. After all, one day you might need a transplant yourself.