My Funky Heart pal, Steve, found another moving article today. Go here to read about one mother’s wish.

You know, I’ve been a blood donor for as long as I have been legally able. When I gave blood for the first time at age 18, my motives weren’t quite as heroic as it sounds. It was a chance to get out of class and gain points for the USC vs. Clemson blood drive when I was in college . If you live anywhere near SC, you know giving blood for your SC Gamecocks to win against Clemson in ANYTHING is the least you can do! After that, I gave blood because I felt special. I have type O negative blood, and the Red Cross always called me when my 45 days between donations expired. They literally begged me to donate. Pretty selfish of me to actually think that I was special merely because I gave blood. The older I got, I began to realize that what I did made a difference. I began to feel that it was my duty to help out. In my naivety, I was proud of myself for donating blood. My hopes, back then, would be that one day if I needed blood, good karma would follow. Never in a million years, would I have ever expected that one day I would be at the mercy of other blood donors as my Mary Clare received multiple blood transfusions and received so many pints of blood during her hospital stints. My child, not myself. That certainly humbled me and brought me to my knees, literally. My youthful mind and immature ways of thinking often haunt me to this day.

I thank God for those that gave blood for my Mary Clare. Wouldn’t it be awesome to know exactly whose blood she received, so I could call them and thank them personally, although words would never begin to describe the gratitude I have.

All of this rambling about blood donations leads me to the article I mentioned previously. The mother is waiting on a heart for her son. She asks a bold question, “Why are people dying every day when perfectly good organs are being buried in the ground?” Good question. Her son is on a transplant wait list because he is in heart failure. His heart didn’t adjust well after his Fontan surgery, which is the exact same surgery that Mary Clare will have soon.

It is almost silly that everyone isn’t an organ donor. Thankfully, I have an outsider’s point of view. So many HLHS babies require heart transplants, and right now, Mary Clare is not one of those babies. Living with a half heart has it’s own downfalls, but she is overcoming those. I hope and pray that she’ll never need a transplant, but I’m not taking any chances. I’m an organ donor, and I would certainly give her my very own heart today if needed. I know that isn’t possible, but my hope is that if she ever needs a heart that somewhere, someone would feel the same way.

If you are not an organ donor, please go here. (There is even a USC vs. Clemson competition going on right now!)

…and if you need another reason, click on Owen’s button below. He is a sweet HLHS baby boy also waiting on a heart.

Owen's Button

…or click on Paul Cardell’s button below.  He is a father and wonderful musician with a CHD who just received a heart!!

Living for Eden

 

2 Comments

KATE  on October 11th, 2009

this brings tears to my eyes.. Everyone needs to be an organ donor!

Shirley  on October 14th, 2009

Thanks for your comments. Working in the world of organ and tissue donation is my profession (LifePoint Special Events Manager) and I can tell you that there are literally hundreds of heart-touching, personal stories in S.C. that highlight the positives of donation/transplantation. These stories are from:
1 – donor families who lost a loved one who became a donor; most of them will attest to the satisfaction and peace that follows the decision to donate.
2 – transplant recipients who have been given a second chance…and appreciate every minute of life.
3 – people who are awaiting a transplant and the anxiety, and sometimes pain, that they live with daily.
4 – family members who have lost a loved one who died while waiting for that life-saving transplant that didn’t come in time.

Over 1 million South Carolinians have a red heart on their drivers licenses and think they are on “the list”. But, in reality, there was no “list” until December 23, 2008, which is when our NEW South Carolina Organ and Tissue Donor Registry began. Everybody can sign up in less than 5 minutes at : http://www.Every11Minutes.org. There is a wealth of infomation at that website about dontion and transplantation.

We are running a competition between Clemson and USC to see who can sign up the most donors in the name of their school/team. This contest will end on November 23, 2009.

We’re asking people to support their favorite team by registering and then choosing a team to credit with the registration. But more importantly, we’re seeking support for the cause of donation.

Donation saves lives. Actually, it creates lives. It’s the right thing to do. It’s easy. It’s heroic.