Care for me
I’ll be donating my kidney in a couple of months. This post is an invitation to help care for me as I recover.
I’ll spend around 2 days in the hospital. After that, I will likely spend a few or several days at my cousin’s house. I’ll have a lifting restriction of 10 pounds for about six weeks so I will need help with moving or lifting things. I will need help the most in the first couple of weeks, and after that I will likely need less help.
Here are the ways that you could help out after I return home:
If you’re in town
I will need company, help with basic physical tasks (e.g. laundry, cleaning), socializing, empathy, and encouragement to get me through recovery. You can sign up here.
I will need help with food preparation. I’ll make meals for myself in advance, and I could use your help making sandwiches, steaming vegetables, cutting fruit, heating foods, etc.
I will need somebody to buy groceries for me (I can pay for them) and bring them to my house
When I am a little more mobile, I would appreciate being accompanied on a visit to a mall or another indoor walking location. Depending on the weather, I may not be able to walk on the ice and cold.
Help me with your presence, empathy, and encouragement. I may not be pleasant company as I am recovering, so it may take grace and generosity from you to be present with me! My energy levels may fluctuate significantly during the day. My financial situation is secure so I will not need any funds.
If you’re out of town
Please email, text, call, and message me. I may not respond quickly, but I appreciate the supportive messages.
Write a letter or postcard to me. I love postal mail! If you don’t have my address, please ask. (I have been living in the same place since 2006).
Do you know a mutual friend or relative of ours? Please tell them about my donation. I may not reach everybody I would like directly, so I appreciate your assistance.
Do you know folks who are supporting me in person? Please thank them and give them whatever encouragement and support they need.
Pray, meditate, or send well wishes. I recommend meditations by Tara Brach. I want you to feel great about the generosity you exhibit in your life and to deepen your self-understanding of how to be generous in ways that align with your deepest values.
Please no gifts to me. Donations to the National Kidney Donor Organization to support kidney donations or supporting my work in food systems change at the Better Food Foundation are welcome.
Thanks. If there are other ways that you can help that you don’t see listed, feel free to offer them. And please respect your own needs to care for yourself and rest, too.