Daring to Believe
A Memoir of a Living Kidney Donor
NOW available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle!
As a living kidney donor, Daring to Believe chronicles Amy’s journey throughout the entire kidney donation process. It’s a resource for other potential living donors and family members about what to expect when donating a kidney.
Daring to Believe is also an inspirational story about following God’s calling in your life even when everything seems impossible.
What might you be called to do if you only dared to believe?
Daring to Believe Book Description
One night, through Facebook, Amy’s husband, Chuck, learned that the brother of a high school friend had polycystic kidney disease. He would soon die without a kidney transplant. Married to his high school sweetheart, this man had two beautiful daughters. With an organ transplant, he could still have a full life ahead of him.
After hearing his story, Amy Gray-Cunningham prayed that someone would step up and offer him a kidney. Then the impossible happened! She heard God’s Voice tell her that she would be the someone to save this complete stranger’s life by donating her kidney.
And, she dared to believe!
Book Summary
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- Daring to Believe is a memoir about kidney donation that’s written in a straightforward yet humorous manner and easy to understand.
- Potential living donor will find this book to be a wealth of information about the transplant process.
- Amy describes the fear and trepidation she felt to proceed with the donation along with the long, hard conversations she had with her husband and family about her desire to donate.
- You will find this book to be about an average person who’s life is transformed by living in faith and believing in “Im-Possible!”
- Daring to Believe makes a great gift to someone who may need a little inspiration in their life.
In more than 17 years as a TV news reporter, Amy’s kidney donation is the single most remarkable story I have ever covered. The odds of her kidney being such a perfect match for David were literally impossible. I don’t know how anyone could hear her story and not see the hand of God in it. It’s an amazing story of love, sacrifice, and trust in the Lord that will strengthen the faith of anyone who reads it.
Book Forwards
Diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) in 2000, I displayed no symptoms of the disease. In fact, I had gone to the doctor for a completely unrelated issue. In 2009, I was placed on dialysis, and subsequently, the transplant list.
My life and that of my family drastically changed as I began peritoneal dialysis. At night, I attached myself to a machine, and through a tube in my stomach it delivered clean fluid and then drained the waste from my body—essentially acting as an artificial kidney.
Within a year, peritoneal dialysis quit working for my body. I was placed on hemodialysis, and three times a week, I went to a dialysis clinic, which is when my health began to deteriorate.
Jennifer took to Facebook in hopes of finding a donor for me.
It worked—Amy found me!
Amy’s story is a testament to a life of redemption, faith, and triumph. Her continued commitment to the National Kidney Foundation reflects her character to make a difference.
Miracles do happen—Amy’s book is the formula of such a miracle. Through the grace of God, and Amy’s courage to believe, she changed the life of a stranger forever.
This book presents a captivating story where one woman, when given the opportunity to save a life with a living kidney donation, said “Yes!” Told with an endearing sincerity that will both entertain and inform you. Amy doesn’t pull any punches about the process of saving a life in this way.
There are lots of factors to consider when making the decision to become a donor. She will capture your heart as she details the adventure and the many unique, intrinsic benefits of choosing to donate life to another human being.
The need for organ donors continues to be outpaced by growing demand. On average, over 36,000 people are added to the waitlist each year, and as another point of reference, 17,107 kidney transplants took place in the US in 2014. To further dial up the urgency, 13 people die each day while waiting to receive a kidney transplant.
If you’re considering becoming a living donor, or would just like to learn more about organ donation in general, you can find a wide range of resources on the websites for the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org/transplantation), Donate Life America (www.donatelife.net), the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network (optn.transplant.hrsa.gov or www.organdonor.gov), or the United Network for Organ Sharing (www.unos.org).
