I got a new tattoo, yesterday. The Chinese symbols mean 'new life' or 'to start life anew'. It really couldn't be more perfect (or in a more perfect spot on my body!)

Recently, there was a very interesting "thread" on the Yahoo kidney_transplants group having to do with writing to the donor family. Of course, this pertains to organ recipients that have received a cadaveric donation. But first, a little background.

Last evening, I was just reading an article online titled Positive Thinking Is Prescription For The Heart. There was a quote that got me thinking about how people approach illness:

Hard to believe, but it's been 9 weeks since my transplant. I've been very fortunate, in that the problems I've had are all minor. I did initially have ATN ("sleepy kidney"), but maintained adequate urine output, so my last dialysis was pre-op. I've also had some minor side effects of meds, including hand tremors, diarrhea (both of which resolved), and some abnormal labs.

A hot topic today in the transplant world is that of the potential recipient being given enough information about risk factors relating to a potential donor. In fact, researchers at Penn have proposed major changes in informed consent policy.