Donate Life

In the past few weeks I have come to realize how important the gift of donation is. Up until recently I never knew anyone who had received or needed an organ donation and honestly, I never gave it much thought.

When my brother died I remember how upset my mom was when she received the call about donating my brothers tissue and organs. We hadn't even had the chance to digest what the police had told us about his accident let alone to think about what, if anything, could be donated from his body. It all felt like such a fog that if you had asked me what the result of that donation phone call was, I would have only been able to tell you that I think we said yes but I didn't know what the conclusion was. My mom wasn't upset about the thought of donation but that the question had to be asked and that a decision had to be made immediately. My brother never registered to be a donor but I am positive that if he had known what his fate was going to be, he would have chosen to save someone's life. What I didn't know six years ago was that in order for an organ to be eligible for transplant, blood and oxygen must flow until the time of recovery. My brother died inside of a car as emergency crews used the jaws of life to get him out. Because of that the majority of his organs were unusable. There are large portions of my life that blurred together at that point and I don't think I ever gave that donation call another thought.

When I went to visit my girlfriend last week, she told me about everything she went through with her surgery and I realized what a miracle the process of donation really is. She would not be here today if her donor (or their family) had not made the decision to become an organ donor. She doesn't know who her donor was or how she died but she is extremely grateful to them for making the choice they did. There are a lot of misconceptions about donation and fears about what the process of recovering the organs looks like. Will they try to save my life first? Will I wake up while they are taking them out!?! Stop watching the Sci-Fi shows and do some research, it's not as bad as you might think. After my visit, I called my mom and asked her what had happened with my brothers organs. Since he had already died the only things that could be donated were his heart valves and his corneas. His heart valves most likely went to help an infant and in some weird way that makes me feel really good. Knowing what I know now, I have registered to become a donor.

If you want to find out more information about becoming an organ or tissue donor or if you want to register in your state, visit www.donatelife.net. There are many types of donations available, including living donations!

New year, new goals

Let me start by wishing all of you a very, very happy new year!!! I can not wait to see what 2011 has in store for all of us. Don't get me wrong, 2010 was a pretty good year and overall I don't really have any complaints but I'm pretty sure 2011 is going to be excellent!! With the new year comes new goals and new resolutions. I'm not a big fan of new year resolutions, partly because I feel that if there is something you want to change or something new you want to try, just do it, why wait for a new year? Most resolutions are things like lose weight, exercise more, eat better, quit smoking, drink less, save money, etc. If any of you have been to the gym since January 1st, I guarantee that the fitness classes are packed, treadmills are full and you have to jump into a rotation for the weights. Wait a few weeks and you should have your gym back. On the flipside, I know a lot of people that set resolutions and actually stick to them. I encourage everyone to do something that improves their health, happiness or overall well being, even if it is just for a few months. It can't hurt right?

Speaking of health, happiness and well being, I found out some wonderful news today. A friend that has been sick since late November is officially on the road to recovery. After a fluke illness that caused severe liver damage, she was able to receive a transplant today and is officially healing. I don't want to share to much information since it is not mine to share but I just want to say WOOHOOOOO!!!

This is a belated picture from the day we cut down the Christmas Tree I mentioned in my last post.