When I was trained as a pilot, I was always amazed about the redundancies in an airplane. There were two magnetos to keep the engine running, two radios for communication, two control sticks to steer the airplane, two systems (electric and vacuum) to run the instrument panel. Everything was designed as a backup for safety.

What is similarly true is that the human body also has a lot of redundancy. Two eyes, two ears, two lungs — and, yes, two kidneys. We can sometimes can get along with only one if we need to.

Recently, at a young age, a member of our family experienced total kidney failure. This meant that he was dependent upon dialysis for his survival. Yet, there was another answer. The body can operate on only one kidney. That meant that if he received a transplanted kidney, it could drastically improve his life. That has now happened and he is back to living a much more normal life.

When kidney failure happens, a part of the solution is that friends or family be willing to “step up” and share one of their two kidneys. You can live a good life on only one, but it is a serious commitment when you say “yes” to donating a kidney to help a needed friend or sibling.

People who become involved in this “kidney connection” can transform the life of another. It is also a process that is controlled, well-organized and regulated by the medical community. The kidney donors and the kidney recipients are protected by privacy and other ethical concerns. It is not a matter where you can call someone with influence to get to the head of a queue or change a priority.

We found the process to be true and transparent when two of our loved ones went through kidney donor/recipient surgery recently under the direction of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) transplant team in Erie. One member of our family received a kidney from an anonymous donor. His sibling, in turn, gave a kidney to an anonymous recipient. All of this was done in a “connection” overseen by a vigilant and ethical medical community where the focus was on finding the best “match” between donor and recipient.

I don’t often write about such personal information in this column, but I thought this whole episode important enough that it should be shared with others.

Maybe you could help a friend or member of your family. Perhaps you are a person willing to donate a kidney even if you don’t know the person being helped-an altruistic donor whose decision to give becomes a true act of selfless generosity.

I never thought that one day our family would be dealing with a “kidney connection.” But, having seen it work, I am whole-heartedly in favor of what it can accomplish. We are fortunate to live in a time when those who experience kidney failure have the possibility of looking forward to a better life.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.