Two women who work at an Amazon warehouse in Beloit, Wisconsin, are now connected through kidney donation.
In a video shared on the Amazon Vest Life YouTube channel, Erinn’s coworker Deb explained that her daughter-in-law, Brittany, was very close to having to go on dialysis and needed a kidney. Erinn’s grandmother had died of kidney disease, which made her want to become a donor.
“I saw what she went through, so I knew that there’s no reason for me not to do it,” said Erinn. “If I’m healthy enough and I get approved, why not continue with the process?”
Erinn decided to donate through the National Kidney Registry’s Voucher Program and give her voucher to Brittany.
“I cried, my husband cried,” Deb said. “We were very grateful.”
Brittany’s wait time for a kidney went from two to five years to two months after she received the voucher.
“My hope for sharing my donation story is not for the pat on the back,” said Erinn, “I just want to get it out there that you can actually do this. You can help others. If you’re healthy enough, you take care of yourself, there’s no reason not to help.”
“We are thrilled that corporations like Amazon recognize the value of living kidney donation,” said Michael Lollo, the National Kidney Registry’s Chief Strategy Officer. “While people on the deceased donor waitlist can wait up to 10 years for a kidney, the median wait time for people who enter paired kidney exchange through the NKR is currently 2.1 months. For people who have kidney disease or are on dialysis, that difference can literally be life-saving.”
By donating through the NKR’s Voucher Program, donors can donate when it is convenient for them while providing a voucher for a friend or family member who is in imminent need of a transplant. When the voucher recipient is ready for transplant surgery, they can redeem the voucher to be prioritized for a living donor kidney through the National Kidney Registry. For more information on the Voucher Program, visit https://www.kidneyregistry.org/for-donors/voucher-program/.
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