By: Richard L. Smith and Sway Buckley
On Friday, June 2nd, I -Sway Buckley- got a call that Newark native and Arts High School alumni Timeka Griffin (who we recently highlighted for Lupus Awareness Month concerning her needing a kidney) was in the hospital.
My heart began to race because her body had gone through so much trauma over the last two-plus decades. I listened impatiently on the other side of the line to hear why she was in the hospital.
I was relieved and ecstatic when I learned it was because she had a kidney donor!
It's bittersweet because although the young 24-year donor is deceased, she was a perfect match for Timeka.
After countless testing and triple-checking, the kidney was healthy and a good match; on Saturday, June 3rd, Timeka was rolled into the OR and came out with flying colors.
Today she is at home quarantine for the next 30 days while being under close supervision to ensure her body accepts the kidney. She has multiple doctor's appointments a week, so her husband had to take a leave from work to get her to all of her appointments (as she is not allowed to drive within the first 30 days).
In her words, the work has just begun!
While RLS Media and our partners at Marriedpreneur Life continue to collaborate with excellent organizations such as NJ Sharing Network to raise awareness regarding donation, we have learned that organ donations are an area where minorities can excel, where we can do our part to save others and eradicate some of the inequities plaguing our healthcare system.
Ultimately, when every 9 minutes, another patient is added to the transplant waiting list, misinformation is and should be considered a national health crisis.
Debunking Dangerous Myths
Below are some facts shared by the National Foundation for Transplants that debunk dangerous and outrageous myths keeping minorities from giving the ultimate gift of life:
Mistruth: Doctors won't try to save your life in an emergency if you are a registered organ donor.
Fact: Doctors will ALWAYS prioritize the health of the patient they are treating first. Only when a patient has died will a transplant team member attempt to procure organs, and they will do so in the most ethical, respectful, and legal way.
Mistruth: My religion doesn't allow organ donation.
Fact: Organ donation is always a personal choice. You should never feel pressured into donating your organs or those of your loved one. But almost all of the major religions (most Protestant faiths, most branches of Judaism, Roman Catholicism, and Islam consider a donation to be a charitable act or a personal decision you should make of your own volition.
Mistruth: My family will have to pay to have my organs donated.
Fact: The families of deceased organ donors are not charged anything. It's a generous act of charity.
Mistruth: If I agree to donate my organs, I will not be able to have an open casket at my funeral.
Fact: Donating your organs will not cause you to have a closed casket. The deceased's body will be treated with the same care and dignity as any other decedent.
Mistruth: You have to be young and in perfect health to donate your organs.
Fact: There's no set age limit for organ donors, and you do not have to be in perfect health. The emergency medical team caring for the donors is responsible for assessing the viability of the organs. If you elect to become a donor, leave that decision up to the medical providers.
Mistruth: If I donate my organs, there's a chance they'll end up on the black market.
Fact: It's illegal to buy and sell organs in The United States. Further, the distribution of donated grafts is an incredibly rigorous process that is ethical, selective, and multi-layered.
Mistruth: I cannot trust America's healthcare system, given what happened during the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, the theft of Henrietta Lacks' cancer cells, and the obstetrician known as the 'Father of Gynecology,' who performed painful medical surgeries on enslaved Black women without administering anesthesia.
Fact: African Americans have every right to be suspicious of American doctors and medical institutions. And while we recognize that every entity has flaws, the various intuitions responsible for collecting and donating organs always work hard to eradicate any possible inequalities.
Mistruth: Donated organs go to wealthy or famous patients first.
Fact: The process of matching organs to potential transplant recipients is quite complex, and it has nothing to do with income level or socioeconomic status. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), organs are matched based on several key factors such as blood type, height, weight, urgency of the medical condition, and time spent on the transplant waiting list.
A LONG ROAD TO WELLNESS FOR TIMEKA:
Above is a picture of all the medications she must take TWICE a day over the next month. Thank you for keeping her in your prayers.
Our staff here at RLS Media are excited about Timeka's positive progress and will continue to monitor and bring updates on her road to recovery.
You can continue to support this Newark native by supporting the GoFundMe account her friend set up for this blessing yet financially stretching season.
O.L. is a former banker turned real estate consultant and entrepreneur. Sway is a former CEO of a staffing firm she started on her dorm room floor to pay for college. Together they co-own Marriedpreneur Life Consultancy, equipping faith-based married entrepreneur couples with high-level systems to scale (without strain). They're the creators of the Marriedpreneur Operating Systems and the co-hosts of The Marriedprenuer Life Podcast, which was praised as one of Wedding Wire's top relationship podcasts. Learn more at MarriedpreneurLife.com.