HONORING, REMEMBERING, ENCOURGING

April 19 is National Blue & Green Day. What does this mean, you ask? It's your opportunity to "give HOPE to the more than 117,000 people on the organ transplant waiting list; HONOR organ, eye and tissue donors;
REMEMBER those that died waiting for their second chance at life; and CELEBRATE the
patients who received the gift of life through transplantation."

You might not realize it at first thought, but chance are good that you know someone first or second or third hand that has had a transplant or is need of one. And there may come a day that you - yes, you - may be in need of one yourself. 

According to the Donate Life America site:

Statistics

Currently, nearly 120,000 men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants in the United States. For specific numbers visit unos.org
65,991 Multicultural Patients*
1,760 Pediatric Patients*
28,052 Organ Transplants Performed in 2011
14,013 Organ Donors in 2012
More than 46,000 corneas were transplanted in 2012
More than 1 million tissue transplants are done each year and the surgical need for tissue has been steadily rising
*as of March 2013

 Even if you keep your body healthy and keep the toxins out, life has a way of changing your circumstances.

Please think about those wonderful, selfless people who have donated in either life or death as well as those people who have so gratefully received those needed transplants to save or greatly improve their lives and have fun on April 19th: Have a blue & green party! Make a blue & green cake! Wear blue & green!

Thank you, organ donors and families who have made it possible for myself and others like me to live our lives fully.

MARCH: National Kidney Month

Here it is, the third day of March, and I only just realized that it is National Kidney Month. So says the National Kidney Foundation. And they would know!

For anyone that is concerned about the possibility of kidney disease, they are offering free screenings. How do you know if you should be concerned? High blood pressure is one factor to consider.

If science telling you this just isn't enough, consider reading the story I just did about a woman whose husband is awaiting a kidney transplant because he didn't realize he had high blood pressure and it all crept up on him and before he knew it he had kidney disease so severe that he is awaiting a kidney transplant. I think I have the facts straight. Check out her blog: Twenty-five Seasons.

Take care of those kidneys. While it's true that you only need one (yes, this woman's husband can get a live donor!), you CANNOT live without ANY. Give your kidney(s) plenty of fluid. Be careful with that salt shaker. Eat 'live' foods - i.e.; produce. This won't just do your kidneys good, but your whole body.

Now raise your glass (of water!) up and say cheers to your kidney(s)! Love 'em and care for them because they are just one more organ or pair of organs that are working hard to keep you alive and well.