Be a post whore!

[sexobon]

[Clodfobble]

I couldn't figure out where to put this tale of woe, because I don't really like the guy it happened to, so it's not upsetting me, but it's too mean to say it's mildly amusing me... Just call it an "oh, snap!" moment.

So there's this guy at our church who has a number of health problems brought on by decades of shitty diet and lifestyle, including kidney failure. Five years ago when it all started, they told him that the average wait on the kidney donor list was 6-7 years, and the average survival time on his kind of dialysis was 5 years. So at this point he's on borrowed time.

He has seven brothers and sisters, most of whom were found to be a match, but they all declined to donate a kidney to him. Which, hey, I get. Many of them have an obligation to their own children to stay alive and not take risky surgeries, and like I said, the guy's a bit of a grump, I certainly didn't try to hand him one of my kidneys.

Except just last month, one of his other brothers was diagnosed with kidney failure, and one of his sisters immediately offered to be a donor for the guy. Which they found out right before having to spend a week with these people at a family reunion. Oh. SNAP.

[glatt]

SNAP is right!

[xoxoxoBruce]

seven brothers and sisters, most of whom were found to be a match, but they all declined to donate

I wonder why they would be tested for a match, unless they were at least entertaining the possibility of donating. Maybe hoping they wouldn't match and be relieved of the burden of refusing. Or afraid they might look bad to the rest of the family, until one said no and the rest knew they wouldn't be the only one. I supposed if he was an asshole, they all might have been considering it and he said/did something that pissed everyone off.

Not much choice in relatives they're kind of assigned. But your friends you get to choose and there's no obligation to choose any of your relatives.

I understand where the family loyalty, blood is thicker than water, and all those proverbs/slogans came from. How up until a hundred years ago your family was your security, your future, your life. Whether you feel that's for better or worse, that's no longer true.
Some may have split with the family over marriage, religion, sexual orientation, or a million other reasons, and wish they hadn't. But I know for sure there's a few Cellarites who pretty much broke with their families and are better off for it.

[fargon]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

But I know for sure there's a few Cellarites who pretty much broke with their families and are better off for it.

I'm one of them, and I feel much better.

[Aliantha]

Wow, that's really harsh. I get that he's grumpy and maybe mean spirited himself, but gosh, I can't imagine being part of a family that would behave that way. How aweful.

[monster]

for me, I think the prognosis for the recipient after transplant would be a factor. maybe for the sister too. Would you give up a kidney if you suspected the recipient would abuse it as they did their own?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by monster

for me, I think the prognosis for the recipient after transplant would be a factor. maybe for the sister too. Would you give up a kidney if you suspected the recipient would abuse it as they did their own?

No, but I wouldn't get tested for compatibility either. It's kind of an involved process with a chance, although small, of something going wrong, like an infection. Seems to me the time, trouble, and risk, would be dumb if I already decided no.

[Clodfobble]

Definitely not. Then again, I'm pretty sure the other brother doesn't have some rare genetic disorder, his kidneys are failing because he drinks soda for breakfast just like the grumpy one. I wouldn't give a kidney to either of them.

[monster]

I'm sitting here drinking a diet coke for breakfast.....

[Griff]

It's cool, that's cancer not kidney failure.

[Sundae]

I dreamed about John Barrowman last night.
It was just an odd dream, not great but not bad either. Mum was in it too.
JB was drinking John Smith's Bitter, which surprised me. Mum also claimed not to know he was gay.

I emailed her today to say what a silly old woman she had been in my dream.

[Aliantha]

I feel the need to rant about something, but I don't know what. It's one of those days for me. I have these negative feelings about injustice and crankiness and god knows what. If I start, just let me go.

Consider yourself warned.

[fargon]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

If I start, just let me go.Consider yourself warned.

[Aliantha]

So, i stayed away spent my time planning a teddy bears picnic cake, and making the bears. Also, another tinkerbell cake. This one will be different though. So anyway, not a bad day in the end.