On this April 30, 2023, and every day I wake, I remember and honor my Donor Hero, Debbie Lundberg. On August 6, 2020, she made the most generous, selfless donation of a kidney to me. Debbie knew me as a business acquaintance for several years and had learned of my story of needing a kidney transplant after more than 24 years of living with Stage 4 Renal Failure. She decided to donate her kidney, whether it was to me or not. Fortunately for me, we were a perfect match, and I received the best kidney ever! To make things even better, Debbie’s husband, Michael Lundberg, was so moved by his wife’s kindness, he decided to join her and donated his kidney anonymously six months later. In 2021, I received a gift of a paver on the Tampa Riverwalk, which I used to memorialize the transplant and our transplant hospital, Tampa General Hospital. Our local Chamber of Commerce celebrated the paver engraving/installation with a Ribbon Cutting event. I hope people will be inspired by Debbie and Michael, the Tampa #KidneyCouple to not only consider live organ donation but to register to be end-of-life organ donors to help others like me live their lives longer and in better health.
