Organ Donation? The questions and answers.

I was asked by a friend to post today in unity with others on the topic of organ donation. I am not a serious poster 99% of the time. I will not be much help to the cause today. I did run across this website that provides a great deal of information on the topic. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/organ_donation.htm

I will relate my own experience with organ donation though and see if that helps any of you to decide to become a donor. In the late 90's my mother was diagnosed with cirrohsis of the liver, the disease that ended up claiming her life. She died at 58 years old. I remember very well how the diagnosis shattered the family and we began hopeful at the prospect of a liver transplant. She was placed on an organ donor list as most people with this disease are. We soon found out though that this was like making a wish upon a star. Through the next several years we all remained hopeful that the call might come in and we could have mom back to health again. Her health deteriorated as the disease progress, and after a few years our hopes were dashed because the rest of her body would be physically unable to endure a transplant surgery.

I am sure you have felt fear and desperation in your lifetime. The feeling is easy to forget during our daily lives because it is so unpleasant, but writing this now brings that feeling back very vividly. When you look at a loved one during their suffering and know that there is only a matter of time until you will lose them forever there is a pain in your heart that you will never outlive. I think now about all of the things that have happened in the family since then weddings, births, holidays, birthdays and I see an empty chair at every gathering. I pray that this never happens to you, but I know that somewhere this second there are thousands who are in desperate need of organ transplants. Thousands of families are going to feel the desperation and fear that comes along with it. Thousands of families that will pray and try to keep their spirits up. There will also be thousands of potential organ donors who will not have made the decision to donate their organs while there was still time. Death is a sad part of life, but to be able to share life with another human being through organ donation may help remove some of that sting. My mom was an organ donor, but unfortunately they were unable to use any of her organs due to the damage caused by her disease.

I hope you take a moment today and talk with your family about organ donation. I hope that you make a decision that could save the life of another human being and add hope to the thousand of desperate families who are on the List just waiting for that call to come in. May you be blessed by your decision to donate your organs because somewhere in the world there will be an empty chair that won't have to sit empty forever.

Thanks for the opportunity to share this with you today.