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Wish list: the gift of life

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Sonoma Valley Sun

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By Cat Smith | For The Sun

The life we all take for granted is one Marcie Becker Waldron has never known. Simple things like birthdays with cake, or a day without giving herself a shot, is a lifestyle she’s never had. Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of three, her parents were told she would most likely not reach 25.

Challenging that decree, she faced dialysis in her forties when that long-term diabetes caused her kidneys to fail. Three years into dialysis, Waldron was given her first “gift of life” from a 16-year-old deceased donor.

“That transplanted kidney has done me wonderfully well for 21 years, but a (transplant) has a lifetime and it’s failing fast, so I need another one,” she said.

It seems that no matter what her diagnosis at any given time, it doesn’t stop Waldron’s passion for giving back. Now in her 60s, saying that she is involved in our community is an understatement. Just to touch on the highlights, she currently sits on the Board of Directors for Sonoma Community Center, La Luz, and Vintage House while being an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Sonoma.

Sonoma City Council Member, Rachel Hundley, said that in 2015, Waldron was the first Alcaldesa since she joined the Council. “Naming our annual Alcalde or Alcaldesa is a way of honoring individuals who have given so much of their time and efforts to our community,” Hundley said. “Marcie’s ‘Got the Dot?’ Campaign launched during her Alcaldesa year was the perfect example of why she was so deserving of the honor in the first place.”

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The “Got the Dot?” Campaign — the “dot” refers to the pink donor sticker on a driver’s license — set a goal of signing up 1,000 donors from the Sonoma Valley. “I signed up 1,500 new donors,” Marcie said. “I figure if even 1% of those became an organ donor, that would be 15 people. The average donor can save four lives so that’s 60 people! So, I hope I did some good.”

Today, Waldron’s need is once again urgent. Her sole kidney is failing. This time around, the organ must be from a living donor. “I’m too old to be listed on the waiting list. It is just too long.”

She is now in Stage 4 Kidney Disease and the window to find a live donor is closing rapidly. The doctors have given her three to six months to transplant or she will have to start dialysis. Once on dialysis, the possibility of a transplant is off the table.

A new kidney would extend and optimize her remaining years. It would give Marcie Waldron the opportunity to continue the valuable work she does for the residents of Sonoma Valley.

While it only takes one person to save Marcie, there are many others out there waiting. It takes a very special person, and more than that, a very healthy person to pass the qualification process for live organ donation. The majority of us sadly can’t be that person, but we can help in our own way. Consider helping the cause by becoming a donor advocate. Raise awareness and help everyone on that list get one step closer.

How to get involved: Visit KidneyForMarcie.com for details on being a living donor or how to advocate, and follow Marcie’s progress on Facebook.




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA