I am terribly angry and upset with several Xangans I don't know. That's right, I'm completely infuriated with people I have never seen and/or spoken to.
Very rarely will I ever pay any attention to a featured question. Recently, one caught my eye...
Are you an organ donor? Why or why not? I read through every possible answer to this featured question that I could find.
(That's right I stomped footprints all over Xanga - what'cha gunna do bout it?!) And several Xangans made me proud, while there were some who I really wanted to rip apart in a comment and leave a spiffy little 0 eProp notice for them to suck on.
My father had a heart transplant in 1995. For the past thirteen years of his life, he has had that second chance all because a single person made the right decision. In the past thirteen years, my dad has had a son.
Do you all not realize that donating your organs doesn't just save
a life? You create lives. My younger brother would not be here if it wasn't for a family and a girl's choice. I wouldn't be the same person I am today. My family wouldn't the same, and quite honestly, I highly doubt that I would have the relationships that I have with my dad's side of the family if he had not lived.
I doubt that my best friend would be Lillie if my dad had not lived, because she is my cousin on his side of the family.
My dad is an amazing man, and I am so glad that he has been able to be apart of my life. And to think back and see that it was all one lady and her family's decision that kept him here for all of these years is absolutely overwhelming. I am almost in tears right now typing this, believe it or not.
I could show you family photo after family photo of my dad and his process throughout having his transplant. Images that would scar you with nightmares. Can you imagine seeing a man at the weight of 85 lbs. who can't reach his daughter from his doctor's bed?
I can show you a newspaper clipping of my dad holding me in the air at the age of 2 in his army suit, and it will break apart the soul of you.
The woman in the picture above is named Laura. She gave her heart to my dad all those years ago. This beautiful Italian girl is someone that I will never get the pleasure of meeting, but someone I see every day of my life. She's the angel inside of my father.
So all of you people who think it is
weird to donate your organs. Look at it this way, is it
weird to save a life?
And for all of you who said you were too young to be an organ donor. You can sign a Donor Card and have it witnessed and be under the age of 16. When you turn 16, it will state on your license that you are an organ donor. But that doesn't mean that you can't be 14 or 15 and not be able to save someone.
I realize that not everyone can donate their organs, but I encourage you to be an organ donor. Sign a Donor Card and have a witness. Your witness really needs to be your husband/wife or a family member. Somebody who you know will be there. Your witness plays a very significant role in whether you'll save a life or not. The woman in the picture above, Laura - she chose her mother (Mary) to be her witness, and she not only saved a life but created another.
Get information today. Talk to your friends and family about it. You can change lives.
Comments (550)
This makes my choice to be an organ donor feel that much more meaningful. :)
I think that everyone should understand the importance of being organ donors and how big of an impact one person can have on other's lives.
What a very uplifting story. I'm really glad your Dad's still around and you got a brother out of it. That's a great story!
Amen! One organ donor can save many lives and turn one family's tragedy into many families' blessing. Who can argue with that?
I sometimes donate blood which is chock full of living organisms (cells) which in turn are chock full of organ-elles.
Seriously though, kidding aside, I don't believe in the sanctity of the body or in God's image or any of those reasons which probably keep most people from being organ donors.
But I still read Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and that shit creeps me out. It's completely ironic, cuz I was a bioengineer down at UCSD some years back. But I dunno, I guess if I was dead it wouldn't matter to me. Just, thinking about the surgical transplant procedures and all that... *shudders*
I work in a hospital and we actually have a wing where people can pick up Donor Cards. I am a donor as well as my mom, but I don't think many of my friends are. Thank you for sharing your story, Sarah. This has definitely inspired me to spread more awareness.
This just cements my wish to be an organ donor if at all possible. Once I die, if other people are able to survive thanks to my organs, then it is the most precious gift anyone can give to anyone else.
And it's a free gift. It doesnt take any more time or effort than to just mark that box on that application and let your loved ones know of your decision.
Do it. Do it now.
TODAY!
I know how you feel, my grandma recieved a new heart around the same time your dad did. I had her for ten more years, and in that ten years I really got to know her and love her more. She got to see grandchildren she would not have otherwise seen, all because of a little boy who died in a car accident. I will be forever greatful. She died 5 years ago from cancer and I'm so glad I had her for as long as I did.
Thanks for sharing
I've been having trouble coming to a decision about a tiny little dot on my california ID card. Thank you for helping me make this decision.
P.S. Dude. I totally have a crush on Polly Shore too. <3
ryc: i KNEW i could count on you. i don't think he knows yet. you know how KIDS are.
@XfantomcatX - Really, I want to thank you for being an organ donor, doll. Means a ton. :)
@DBF21 - Thank you, and I really appreciate the recommend. In all honesty though, I really couldn't imagine my life without my dad or my brother.
@iwfuutaudls - Surgical procedures can always freak people out. I have a very hard time even listening to people talk about things like that. But when it comes to something that hits this close to home, it is a topic that I am very passionate about.
@breakfreely - Awesome! Seriously, that is one of the major goals of this post. I would love to get you in touch with a few things that you could possibly do around the hospital if you are at all interested?
@cmdr_keen - And it's very possible to become a donor. If you aren't one already, you can look it up online to find a hotline or local service where you can sign up. Thanks for the comment and the enthusiasm. :)
@WifeOfAGayHusband - I'm very sorry for your loss of your grandmother, but I am so glad that you got to be with her as long as you did. Really, wonderful story. I would love to hear more about your grandmother if you are ever up to sharing. :)
@CrazyKey123 - It's good to be passionate about things, and its even better to be educated about your passions.
I might become an organ donor, but first I have to be convinced that doctors are actually dealing with dead people when they pronounce them dead. Do you have any idea how many people were pronounced dead by medical staff and then woke up?
I think that organ donation should be mandatory upon death.
What I don't understand is, if you die, that's it, your dead. Why does it make a difference to people if your "good" organs are put to good use. Here's another way of looking at it: It is a way to keep a part of you living on. What's wrong with that? I totally agree with you about organ donation. It's a beautiful thing. I'm happy to hear of your father's success!
@jewjewbeedragon - Not according to Christianity, Hinduism, and pretty much every other organized religion.
I don't understand what is weird about donating organs, but whatever. Thanks for sharing this story, I hope more people read it. I'm glad your dad is still here thanks to someone's choice.
And that is exactly why I am an organ donor! I won't need them when I'm dead, so why not save a life? It is selfish not to be one, in my opinion.
Hell, I plan to donate my brain to science when I die.
I don't believe I'm an organ donor now, but reading your post has inspired me to reconsider my stance. I really can't think of a downside to donating one's organs, but there are so many positives--like what you wrote about. Great post!
I don't know if mandatory organ donation is the way to go but if it was it would sure cut down on the illegal harvest of organs, coercion to donate, buying/selling organs, etc. I figure that it is the truly Christian thing to do - donate every last scrap that can benefit someone. If I never do anything heroic in life at least I know that being a donor I'll be a hero in death. Makes it better somehow.
If they can use it, I guess I'm in. Count me as a convert.
RYC: Thank you. Your site is beautiful. It sounds like the heart behind it is, as well.
@cApNhOwDy - I wouldnt go that far - what I would see is an "opt-out" system put in place.
The way it would work is that it would be assumed that you DO want to donate your organs on death, unless you specify otherwise.
It's a flip of the current situation where you need to opt-IN, and too many people dont bother to do that until it is too late.
The organs need to be removed as quickly as possible after death in order for them to be used effectively...
I didn't read all of that, but I am an "organ donor". I mean, I haven't donated any organs yet, but if the opportunity came up, I'd be a candidate. The use and significance of being an organ donor seems obvious to me.