First call about kidney availability

On Friday, May 4, we were expecting our "dinners for 8" group for dinner, but when I got home from work I was very tired, so I got into my jammies and lay down for a nap. I slept about an hour, then was awakened by my cell phone, which I now keep with me at all times. It was the transplant coordinator from Baylor All Saints in Ft. Worth, calling to inquire if I were interested in receiving a kidney from a high risk donor. A high risk donor is someone whose lifestyle has put them at risk for HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis, etc. This generally means donors who have engaged in sex for money, have engaged in gay sex, have been in prison, or done recreational drugs. The coordinator said that a kidney was coming in from Alaska overnight, and going to Houston for a possible recipient there, but if the match didn't work there, the kidney would be available to All Saints. She said further that the donor was a 32 year old woman who had engaged in sex for money within the last two years. The patient had been tested for all the diseases that can be tested for and found to be clean. But of course, she could have been exposed to one of the blood borne diseases within the last few weeks and the disease might not show up on the tests. I turned it down, although she kept telling me that I should really give it some consideration. Before I started the transplant evaluation process, my nephrologist told me that, because of my age, I would be asked to consider accepting what is known as an "extended criteria" kidney, which is a kidney from someone who is older than 50 years, or has had mild hypertension, or diabetes that was controlled, or some other condition that could have affected the kidney's performance. He told me that, because I am in overall good health except for my failing kidney, I should not accept anything other than a "standard criteria" kidney, which is one from a donor younger than 50 years, with no health issues. My first transplant evaluation was at UAMS, and the transplant surgeon there (Dr. Abu-Lezz), said the same thing, for me to accept nothing less than standard criteria kidney. So it was an easy call for me to turn down the "high risk" kidney, which is even worse than an extended criteria kidney, because it carries the additional possibility of bring some disease with it. Still, the call sort of rattled me. I know that there is at least one person (the intended recipient in Houston) who is interested in receiving this kidney. I surmise it must be somebody who has been on dialysis for a long time, or who is so sick that ANY kidney sounds better than none. I wonder how sick I'd have to be to be willing to accept this?