A few weeks ago, we were gathered at the upper room of a church in town to view a film on Organ and Tissue donation. The film featured an African-American couple going through the pain and horror of kidney failure, which led to the need for a kidney transplant. The wife was a high school teacher with a great job, promising career and a good marriage; all threatened by her health problems. The husband was severely burdened by the health of his wife who was in need of a new kidney. She was on a wait-list with no hope of knowing when she would get a kidney. The joy, love and vibrancy in their home gradually diminished.
If you have ever had to care for a family member with chronic illness, you would appreciate what this looks like. One of the interesting high points of the film was an African-American man in the community who had a kidney transplant a few years prior, but never told anyone. He refused to discuss it, almost like it was a thing of shame. We all know how stories of survival confer hope to another; yet, he was hiding his story.
At the end of the film, which was provided by a representative from Donor Alliance | Donate for Life; and the event that was co-hosted with the Colorado Black Health Collaborative, and hosted by a Donor Alliance representative, we had two African-American community members talk about their stories. They shared about how their health/health of their spouse failed, the waiting list and the difficulties of getting an organ majorly because the donation rate is low among minority populations; and that the greatest call they ever had was, “We have a kidney for you”.
Read the article in the Body of Christ News to learn more about how organ donation impacts the Black community – http://bocnews.com/de/2017-11/?page=14.
Dr. Tolu Oyewumi is a Physician and Epidemiologist. She is also a Certified Coach, Speaker, Teacher, Trainer and a writer, who is a strong advocate for health literacy.