My good friend Mindy, who’s also a Greatest Gift Foundation board member, is vegan, so she was delighted to see in this one excellent blog post a woman’s personal account that ties a vegan, pro-animal rights lifestyle with her other favorite topic, living organ donation.
I noted with interest that the author, living kidney donor Hillary Rettig, was advised not to eat too much protein going forward so as not to strain the remaining kidney. I had not heard that before — had any of you who have given a kidney?
By far my favorite paragraph in Hillary’s essay is the very last one, which I’m pinning up in my office as an ongoing source of a smile.
Sometimes, I find myself wondering what my kidney is up to at the moment. “I wonder if it’s walking by the pond.” “I wonder if it’s working at the vet clinic.” “I wonder if it’s watching bad TV.” I guess I’ve come to think of it as being like a dog I gave up for adoption. I don’t wonder if it’s happy, though, because I know that if any kidney is happy, mine is — having found its “Mr. Right,” an amazing being who shares its values and is committed to helping keep other amazing beings alive and happy.
Fun story, right?? Yay for animal rights and kidney donation!
Wow! Amazing story, great post!
It is true, that if your protein source is from animal products (meat or dairy) then it is straining on your kidneys. Kidney stones are formed from excess animal protein not being able to be broken down by our bodies efficiently, which leads to the deposits in the kidneys.
=)
That’s funny because I never think about what my other kidney is doing. However, I do a lot of feeling grateful every time I really, really really have to pee because I smile and say,
“Wow that one kidney I have left sure does work pretty @#%$ing good.”
