My Sister Karen: A True Hero

As I type, my sister Karen is proudly donating a kidney to her Uncle John. Karen became a candidate last year when Uncle John's brothers, Ron and my dad, who matched his blood type were deemed to be "too old" to donate, despite the fact they are in phenomenal shape. Karen selflessly became a candidate when she had determined that she was the same blood type as Uncle John; and the next closest relative to be a match. She had mentioned at the time she always wondered what her calling was in life, and when this opportunity presented itself, she then knew! Over the last year, Karen and Uncle John went through a series of tests to determine true compatibility and if there would be any other determining factors. Everything went as hoped; Karen was a perfect match, and deemed to be in perfect health. Leading up to today, you would have thought that today was just another day for Karen, no more stressful than a hair appointment. She never made a big deal about it. Uncle John and Aunt Claire Ann were very humbled by the sacrifice Karen was making. While talking to them when I was in Montana, they asked me the question "How do you thank somebody for that?" They didn't think there was any true way to do so. I told them that by saying this, they just had. I told Karen about it, and in typical Karen fashion, she just said "Just make some mud pie for me." (Mud pie is a delicious dessert Aunt Claire Ann makes from Oreo Cookies). The kidney donation became a subject of many funny emails involving Karen, Uncle John, Uncle Ronnie, My dad, and myself. The Sharps over the years have shared with each other all the "family secrets". With that, and the fact we all have a great sense of humor, the emails were to say the least, very funny. In the last couple of days while Karen and my dad were in Pennsylvania, they relaxed by hanging out with Uncle John and Aunt Claire Ann, reminiscing and sharing more of the "family secrets." Both Karen and Uncle John seemed very relaxed about the whole thing when I spoke to them last night. I am currently waiting for Dad to call when the procedure is finished. Anyways, I just want to conclude that I am so proud to be Karen's brother. What she is doing and her whole attitude towards it is simply phenomenal. She's an amazing sister, niece, daughter, and even a greater human being.