There was no way I was getting a full night’s sleep last night, so I was up at 6 and ready to get on the road! I picked up Jimmy at around 9:15 and we were on the road by 9:45.
My friend Matt loaned me his roof rack, so we could get a cargo carrier for our luggage. Well, the cargo carrier sucks. It was really windy today, and one of the straps broke. No big deal, as there are about 8 straps on it. But, the carrier creates drag, especially in the wind. We also got a chip in the windshield before we even left Phoenix! We got to the hotel around 4, and Kim was already there waiting for us! We had a great time together and the filming was fun. She brought her family by after dinner, so I could meet them. I actually had her mom as a friend on Facebook first, because she is the one who found the Living Donors group on Facebook. That’s Melody. Her husband Travis, son Jager, and daughter Joplyn came along, too. I can’t wait to see them the next time I come up here!

I messaged all of the donors to let them know the new dates of our arrival. The next two days are in LA, and there’s going to be a lot of cool stuff happening!

Me and Kim, the Vegas Donor.

I cannot believe that two weeks from this very moment, we will be filming the Vegas donor! We’ve had to be flexible in some of our plans due to fundraising, but that’s ok!
We had to take the Calgary part out of the trip, but will fly Lauren into Bellingham while we are there. It’s cheaper and in the long run, it saves us over $1000.
We didn’t get very lucky with a car sponsorship, but it’s ok. My car is new, it’s just small. I drive a VW Golf 2-door hatchback. It’s a 2012, so it has very little miles on it. We will just have to get a roof rack for our luggage, so we have room for all the filming equipment inside the car. Using my own car will also feel more comfortable and the gas won’t cost as much.
We had to add an extra day into our time in LA, too. We’ll be getting some press there. We even get to hang out in the green room of Jimmy Kimmel Live! His sister Jill is one of my closest friends and just blurted it out last night while we were catching up on the phone. I guess Russell Brand is there that night. No big deal. Hahahaha!
So, we are down to 14 days. 14 days after 9 months of planning. OMG. 14 days!!!

My mom donated $100 to the documentary the other day. $50 of that was from her neighbor, LaVon. A couple days later, I got this awesome card in the mail. I bawled like a baby when I read it. A future donor donated (again) today, and her comment for her donation was “For a tank of gas and a sandwich,” because she had seen the card when I posted it on Facebook. So, it’s been kind of a motto the past few days.
LaVon is 82. She took the time to send this to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I’ve been on The Today Show. I’ve been on the local TV stations about a half-dozen times. I had my own radio show for 4 years. Nothing could compare to this morning.
I’ve always been a listener to NPR. Car Talk was one of the few things I had in common with my father. I have it on in the background while working. It’s playing in my earbuds while I walk Dexter. I’m obviously a fan.
This morning, I was on “Here and Now” with Steve Goldstein. STEVE GOLDSTEIN! *faints*

Here’s the link:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/social-media-stole-my-kidney-two/x/2351351

I was on NPR’s “Here and Now” today!

We’ve been talking about this project since July. We’ve had meetings a few times a month since then. Jimmy and I are both really creative people, and with Jean on board now, there’s no shortage of ideas.

Honestly, though, I just want to get on the road. I am not complaining, but I own my own business, which is a more-than full-time job. The past couple months, this film has become the same. I’m so grateful for everything, but it’s exhausting.

I wish we didn’t have to ask for any more money.
I wish we had the car sponsorship we need. My car is new, but too small for us AND all the equipment & luggage.
I wish that more people would take it seriously.
I wish that we were already on the road. I can’t wait to meet all these people who I have developed relationships with the past two years.

My PR person, Stacey, got registered (along with her boyfriend) online with the MVD to be organ donors.
I wish that everyone would do that.
I wish it were a requirement that people could opt-out of, instead of the other way around.
I wish that I didn’t have so many people coming to me who need a kidney.

I wish that I could grow another kidney to donate again, every year.

…I never could have imagined I’d be where I am today!
Kirti and I exchange photos a lot, and sometimes I get really emotional. Lately, though, they give me a push on this project.
Before I started testing to donate, I had “go blonde” on my bucket list. I ended up going back to my black hair before the surgery, because it was just way easier to keep up with.
This picture was taken on the day I first met TinyMom. 🙂

Me and TinyMom

I cannot believe it’s been almost two years since my kidney donation.
I cannot believe this damn kidney has taken over my life. (in a good way!)
I cannot believe the path my life is on professionally with this kidney donation.
I cannot believe that in 6 weeks, this documentary is FINALLY getting made!
I cannot believe the people who are now a part of my life because of donating.

This picture was taken at our 90-day kidneyversary. Me and TinyMom.

Me and TinyMom

My friend Chris, who I’ve known for about nine years, set me up to do a podcast called “Positively Speaking” yesterday. It was a great experience and the host, Bill Poett, was very easy to talk to.

For the first 45 minutes, it was me telling my story. Things blew up, though, when we started to get callers. Grab your Kleenex and have a listen!

Positively Speaking 3/14/13

#KidneyChat starts tonight at 8pm PST.

There are many, many chats on Twitter for people to participate in. They are found by knowing what the hashtag for the chat is. For example, I know on Tuesday evenings, there is an #smmanners chat. It’s a discussion of Social Media manners. Chats are awesome because you can learn a lot from people you may not interact with.

So, once you know what the hashtag is, you can search the hashtag and jump in. What I prefer, though, is to go to OneQube.com. You log in with Twitter, enter the hashtag of the chat, and see what everyone is saying. Every tweet you send out while using tweetchat.com will automatically include the hashtag.

If you use Tweetdeck (not sure how other third-party apps work), you can add a column with the hashtag.

Always remember (except for when you use tweetchat.com) to add the hashtag into your tweet for others to see.