Erie VA employee reflects on life-saving organ donation

Jill Seeley, a licensed clinical social worker in the Caregiver Support Program at the Erie VAMC, was diagnosed with chronic renal failure around the age of 20, but didn’t begin experiencing the signs of kidney failure until 14 years later. 

With the choice of dialysis or a kidney transplant, Seeley received her kidney donation at the age of 34 from her husband.

“I am truly grateful to my husband and the gift he has given me,” she said. “For my husband to donate his kidney to me was an honorable and selfless act of love and commitment.”

Seeley said her chronic renal failure required her kidney function be monitored by continuous labs.

“I was very blessed and had a wonderful nephrologist that would keep track of my kidney function levels,” she said.

Seeley said her doctors were diligent to recognize when her levels indicated that her kidney was functioning below normal and that it was time to start the process of organ donation. 

Her nephrologist also experienced receiving a kidney transplant and was transparent about what needed to occur and when, she added.

Needing to be put on the organ donation list was no surprise for Seeley, she said.

“I have always looked at my situation before transplant as an equation, that A plus B equals C,” she said. “A is chronic renal failure, B is the kidney failing to a point that something needed to be done, and C is dialysis or transplant.”

With many things to consider, Seeley said she was more concerned with her family and did not want to interrupt or effect their lives. 

At the time, her family was very active, and she knew her husband was a willing and matching donor, which raised even more concerns for her because she did not want anything to happen to him, she said.

For Seeley, receiving the kidney donation helped change her perspective and have more gratitude for life, she said.

“My husband’s sacrifice gave me a second chance at life,” Seeley said, “I was able to avoid dialysis, which meant I was able to continue to live life without having to build our lives around dialysis schedule. I was able to continue to be his wife and stepmother to his children, watch my stepchildren, nieces, and nephew grow, and continue to be an active member in my family and work as a social worker.”

The support from her family, friends, and colleagues at the Erie VA that were aware of her situation helped keep her hopeful and positive during the wait time, she said.

“Having support and knowing that others care and will step in to help was a blessing,” Seeley said.

Registering as an organ donor is not an easy decision, however, Seeley said she hopes everyone who hears her story will see that deciding to become an organ donor helps save lives – not only the life of the person receiving the donation but also the family of that person. 

To register, go to https://core.org/register