In 1947, CBS Radio introduced a program called Escape. The idea was simple: leave the routine of everyday life behind and be transported into a world of adventure, danger, and challenges that seemed impossible to overcome.
For many people, escaping means getting away for a while. It might be a video game, a TV show, a good book, a cruise, or an all-inclusive vacation. If you have the time and the means, there are plenty of ways to leave the stresses of everyday life behind.
For me, and for many people living with chronic illnesses, cancer, or kidney failure, our idea of escape is very different.
We don’t dream about escaping to a tropical island.
We dream about escaping hospitals, dialysis centers, clinics, waiting rooms, and the endless cycle of appointments that seem to take over our lives.
Imagine sitting in a chair for four hours, connected to a machine that is doing the work your body can no longer do on its own. Everything you need is within reach, but you’re not free to simply get up and walk away. Then imagine doing it again. And again. Week after week. Month after month.
That isn’t a vacation from life.
It’s life.
A kidney transplant is my escape.
Not because it would take me somewhere exotic, but because it would give me the opportunity to live with fewer limits. It would mean less time spent planning my life around dialysis treatments and more time spent living it. More freedom. More flexibility. More normal days.
I don’t want to escape to a beach.
I want to escape dialysis.
I want the freedom to take a trip without wondering where I’ll get treatment. I want to spend time with family without watching the clock. I want more of my life back.
That’s what a kidney transplant means to me.
Help me find my escape.