Donating a kidney to my husband in 2012 was an incredibly empowering experience. I enriched my life while saving his.

But it’s surprising how much unfounded fear surrounds living organ donation. People ask if donors can still drink alcohol, eat salt, race competitively, give birth and live as long.

The answer is yes. In fact, a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine showed we tend to live as long–or longer–than the general population.

 

So I founded the nonprofit Rock 1 Kidney, which shares resources and stories of ways people are “rocking one kidney” since donating. It’s a labor of love that I do in my spare time for free.

For more information, please visit: rock1kidney.org.