Between the Lines: To the Editor

Making the Case For Organ Donation

The following letter was sent last week to friends and members of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

For more than 20 years I have been managing my chronic kidney disease (CKD). My situation has reached the point where I need to take actions in addition to the medications that I have been receiving for the past 20 years to continue to manage my health.

The positive news is that in early May I will be receiving a kidney from my brother. Transplant for kidney disease patients is the most effective way to overcome the disease and my family has been my biggest supporters on this path. I will be on medical leave beginning May 5 and expect to be fully engaged and back in my role at the Chamber in mid-summer.

According to the National Kidney Center 26 million individuals have CKD in the United States today and 1 in 10 adults have early signs of the disease.

This Chamber is privileged to have an exceptional Board of Directors and a tremendous staff.  Working together, they have already mapped out the activities that will be occurring in May and June and have developed a plan of action to move forward while I am recovering. Adam Perle, Cheri Durst, and Lorraine Holcombe will fill in for me when a senior Chamber presence is required. The Chamber is fortunate to have such a high caliber team of individuals who are looking forward to stepping in and leading our organization.

I do not expect the progress of our Chamber to be impacted at all during these two months, but I wanted to let you know why I am taking this short-term medical leave.

I realize how very lucky I am, I have a brother who is willing to donate to me. There are people who are on the transplant list who wait for years to receive a new kidney. Organ donation is truly a gift of life, and I am very grateful to family, friends, and co-workers who screened to be a donor. If you are able, please learn about and consider live organ donation as well as resister as an organ donor on your driver’s license.

To learn more about chronic kidney disease please contact the Robert Wood Johnson Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center (www.rwjuh.edu/medical_services/kidney_pancreas_center.html) or the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org).
As always thank you for your support of our Chamber.  As your champion for business we continue to work every day to improve and support the communities that we serve and help you grow your business.

Peter Crowley
President & CEO, Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce