The Learning Process

Although I told "G" to tell his doctors that I was ready for them to rip out my kidney at the exact moment he told me of his condition, I knew there would be lots of medical testing involved. His team of doctors wanted me to wait until he was on dialysis for 3 months and to wait for Medicare to kick in so I wouldn't be hit with outrageous medical bills. I decided that since there was nothing I could do to speed up the process, I would learn all that I could about end stage renal failure. The links I have listed on this site were a great help to me. I also spent endless hours on the internet looking for any information I could find. My local library had one book related to kidney failure. This was a bit of a surprise but I checked it out and read it a few times.
FSGS is actually pretty common although little is known about what causes it. Anyone who follows the NBA may be aware that this is the same disease Alonzo Mourning, of the Miami Heat, was diagnosed with prior to his kidney transplant.
I am not going to list every piece of info I read here, but I will answer questions.
What I am trying to stress in this post is that this is not a decision to be taken lightly and you should educate yourself about kidney failure and the options available. Not everyone should donate an organ and you can't really change your mind after having one removed, so be 100% certain of your decision.
If you have to wait for donor evaluation to begin, this is the perfect time to begin learning. Talk to doctors, transplant recipients, live donors and family. Living donors online has a great message board and you can read the experiences of many who have undergone the donation process.