Throughout their childhood, cousins Serena and Tammi always shared a close relationship. When Tammi was six and a half she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. As the years passed Tammi’s health deteriorated in spite of her conscientious and meticulous adherence to her medications and diet. In 2002, Tammi was hospitalized many times and nearly died from her disease. With her kidneys failing, she began dialysis in April 2003.
Even with dialysis, Tammi was in serious need of a kidney transplant. Her sister Georgia had long planned on donating one of her kidneys to Tammi. However, it was determined that they did not have compatible blood types and Georgia was not a viable donor. After hearing this news, Serena offered to be tested to be a live donor. Serena later received a call from the transplant coordinator that she was a good match. “The decision to donate my kidney was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made in my life, it just felt right!” says Serena. “I felt more at peace with this decision than any other one that I have made,” she says with fortitude.
In July of 2003 at Dartmouth Hospital in Hanover, both surgeries were performed and the transplanted kidney worked immediately. Hours after the surgery when the cousins were reunited, Serena’s decision was validated by seeing Tammi looking better than she had in years.
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{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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