In March 1981, Lyle went to the doctor complaining of ongoing fatigue. Tests revealed his kidneys were not functioning normally. Over the subsequent months, Lyle's energy ebbed even more, eventually forcing him to cut down his workload. Lyle walked more slowly each time, and had to take more timeouts to rest. Now it was a year later, March 1982, and his kidneys had deteriorated to the point that doctors told Lyle he would soon need dialysis, but he should try to find a donor.
Siblings are most likely to have the same blood type and matching tissues.
When Lyle finally gave us the news, I didn't hesitate. I knew our older brother Jim had high blood pressure so he wouldn't qualify. But I was in fine health, never having to use my sick time at work. Lyle teased, referring to an incident when I was about seven years old. Then Lyle got serious.