I'm married with 2 children, one is 3 years old and the younger one has just turned one. I'm a teacher in a primary school, teaching English, Math and Music. My worries started when my kidney failed in 2007. I started dialysis, but I got tired easily and had to stop work. Since I could not do a lot of things, my whole family had to take care of me. I felt bad about being dependent on other people, even if they were my closest family members. It was a frustrating time for me, to be so helpless and to feel useless. My family was still very young. How could I keep up with these challenges for the rest of my life? That was when I decided that dialysis was not for me. I wanted to be the one supporting my family. I wanted to be strong again, and that meant opting for an organ transplant. My doctor educated my family and I on the procedure involved and the options that were available to us, such as getting a kidney from a living donor who is a family member. I count myself fortunate that my family was calm about the whole matter and gave their full support. My parents and my parents-in-law went for the blood test and my mother-in-law turned out to be a suitable match. My transplant took place in January 2008. I recovered quickly and went back to school to teach in May 2008. To me, organ donation is really the gift of life. I regained my freedom to do anything and everything. I can work again and support my family, and repay them for the love and support they have shown me.