Jackson, and Natchez, MS

We were able to contact WAPT 16 ABC TV station in Jackson, MS, video is good, but the write up not so much as it doesn’t provide info links.

Jackson has a NKR member hospital, UMMC, where my voucher recipient had his surgery.

Today we are in Natchez, MS south of Jackson, heading for Texas.

While at an ice-cream shop this evening a truck pulls in because he noticed our car.

It was a man and his grown son, asking about our car logos. The wife/mother has been on dialysis for 2 years and has been looking for a kidney.

The husband said he was evaluated at the main hospital where she’s registered and was told he wasn’t a match, the son hasn’t been evaluated yet, and neither has the grown daughter/sister.

They were told by this hospital they have to be a match to donate. I mentioned paired exchange but they didn’t recognize the term so it seems they weren’t made aware of this option, or it was mentioned but they didn’t understand it or it didn’t make an impression on them.

During the conversation, the husband/father asked if we were in Jackson yesterday because there was a story about kidney donation and he kind of recognized the car. Yes, it was us.

Lynn and I explained that they could go to Jackson, MS, and use the voucher program to donate for their wife/mother. They said she was registered there, as well.

I asked if they had a smartphone and the husband/father took his out and clicked on our QR code. We explained how he could start the screening process. I also had him take a picture of the QR code so the son and daughter could also start doing the same.

We’ll see where this all goes.

Of course, they have our contact info and they will send us theirs. Just an example of life on the road for The Organ Trail.