Sanjiv’s story

It started when I happened to see a doctor on breakfast TV one day, while I was eating my corn flakes. He mentioned that some people chose to donate a kidney to a stranger. I didn’t even know this was something you could do. As soon as I heard about it, it immediately sparked something in me. I knew at that point that it was something I was going to do.

I didn’t tell it to many people until quite late on in the process. When I did, there were definitely some people who didn’t understand and that it was an unnecessary, but they also, but they also understood why I wanted to do it. I saw it as an opportunity to do something, to give something back to those who need it.

Sometimes I think to myself ‘actually, I did something that could be construed as quite selfish’. I chose to donate a kidney because I wanted to do it, and there there were definitely rewards to that act – someone benefited from my donation, and I felt really good about that. It’s this pot of good feeling that I can dip into when I’m feeling low. I’ve done this great thing and someone else has benefitted from it. Looking back, I’m very glad I did it.

The only issue is that I felt bad for putting my loved ones through concern. I was convinced it was fine and I was happy with the decision I had made, but they sometimes struggled, and I didn’t want them to struggle. I made sure to take them on that journey of with me and learn everything about living kidney donation.

It certainly puts a different perspective on life’s little nuisances. When the train’s running late, or the waiter serves you from the wrong side.

Some people think what I did was completely selfless, but I’ve honestly gotten so much back from what I did. I can just think about it, and the consequences of what I did, and feel really good. There’s someone out there who’s benefitted from my action, who is better off from my donation. That’s really all I needed to act.