In case you didn’t know this already, there really is a
facebook page for everything. This past February 14, I came across the Donate
Life America page. There was a picture notifying everyone that Valentine’s Day
was also National Donor Day, and it encouraged everyone to register to be a
donor. I shared the image on my facebook page, hoping to encourage others to
register to be a donor, but I had not quite shared my story. It’s a story with
several parts . . .
Part 1.
When I was 16, and qualified for my first driver’s license,
I registered as a donor. I would like to say that it was an easy decision to
make, but really it wasn’t. I had given it quite a bit of thought. On one hand,
I thought the idea was completely creepy. Moving one person’s organs to another
person sounded a bit like the premise of Frankenstein. I wasn’t really sure I
wanted any part of that. On the other hand, I thought it sounded pretty cool. I
mean you could take something from one person, give it to another, and it could
SAVE them. That, my friends, is amazing. So with the aplomb only a teenager can
have, who just knows she is invincible, I registered as a donor. As I’ve gotten
older, and renewed my license in different states, the little heart on the
card, or the words organ donor, have always appeared. I haven’t really given it
much thought over time.
Part 2.
Now, fast forward, quite a few years. I receive a phone call
from my parents. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as we enjoy talking with
one another. However, this time there was a change in the tone of the call. Dad
had been to the eye doctor and had an eye disease. He had what is called Fuchs’
Dystrophy. It is a progressive corneal disease, which in short, leads to a loss
of vision. After multiple trips to specialists at the Mayo’s Clinic, it was
concluded that Dad could be helped with surgery. The doctor would have to do a
partial cornea transplant to help save his vision. Over time, Dad has had two
eye surgeries, each time receiving a cornea from a donor. I’m ashamed to admit,
that I blocked from my mind where the corneas were coming from. I was just
incredibly happy that my Dad would be able to see. In fact, he has better
vision now, than he did before the surgery. Among so many other wonderful things, it means he will
continue to see his grandchildren grow up.
Part 3.
Fast forward, just a couple of years to November 4, 2012. I
received another phone call. It was about 4:00 in the morning, when the phone
rang. My friend and I were sitting in the living room, talking about the most
random of subjects, to avoid the most obvious problem I was facing that night.
When the phone rang, we gave each other a questioning look before I answered
the phone. The call was from a man I will never meet in person. As hard as I
might try to think, I cannot even tell you the man’s name. He was calling me,
because Chris was a registered organ and tissue donor. He wanted to know if I
would be willing to honor that registration. With my heart in my throat, and
tears in my eyes, I told him yes. It was then that he told me, that because
there was not yet a cause of death, the donation would only be the corneas and
tissue. There really is no “only” about it. The impact of his words was
immediate. Chris’s corneas would give someone else the gift of sight. Someone
else would be able to see their children and grandchildren grow up. Seeing as
our family had been the recipient of such a gift, I could not imagine a more
precious gift to give.
Part 4.
I received a letter several weeks later from the Washington
Area Transplant Community. They confirmed that Chris’s corneas actually helped
two people. Which in my mind, really translates to two families. I will never
meet these people. I will never know if it was men, women, or children who
received his gifts. I just know that I pray for those people, and their families,
that their eyes stay strong. I can only hope that they can watch their children
and grandchildren grow to adulthood and begin their own families. I also now think
much more about, and pray for the people that made the donation to help my Dad
see. Being an organ and tissue donor really is the greatest gift.
Part 5.
This part is my public service announcement. March is
National Eye Donor month. I encourage everyone to take a moment to check your
driver’s license. Are you a registered donor? Does your family know your
wishes? If you are not yet a registered donor, you don’t have to go back to the
DMV to update your license. There is an online registration form that you can
complete: http://donatelife.net/register-now/
After you complete the registration, be sure to share with your family, that this
is indeed what you wish. Organ donation truly is the most important gift a
person can share.
