My word for May 3rd is DONOR
There are only several times in my life when I have seen my
mother cry. One that always stands
out in my mind was February 14th 1991. My sister awoke to a horrible headache, and then
collapsed. Not knowing what
happened my mother called Jay who rushed over picked up my lifeless sister and
placed her in my mom’s car, rushing her to the hospital. Within an hour my sister was airlifted
to St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock where she was placed on life
support. We all arrived shortly
after to learn that she had suffered an aneurysm and was brain dead. There was no hesitation, we would give
her organs. If you have never
experienced the giving of organs it is an experience that I will never
forget. Even though heartbroken
over the death of a loved one it is comforting knowing you are giving life to
another. ARORA arrived with their
ice chests, explained everything to my parents and began their routine. They took my sisters organs that were useable
and whisked them off in just an ordinary blue ice chest just like the ones you
and I would use to chill our drinks.
My parents had to sign paper work that stated that you wouldn’t try to
find who received the organs, etc.
Later that year my mother received a phone call from a gentleman wanting
to say thank you for giving him life.
He had received one my sister’s kidneys. For many years after that phone call he kept in touch with
my mother. He sent her cards
celebrating the day he received the kidney and sent her cards on every
holiday. He even came to my
parents home to check on them. It
was a relationship that began with tears of sadness, but followed with tears of
joy. Part of my sister lived
through someone else.
Did you know that eighteen people die everyday waiting for a
donor match? Mark Zuckerberg the
founder of Facebook has a hacker spirit.
He looks as his development of facebook as to having a spirit of
continuous improvement. It is
revolutionary what he does with his mass communication tool. He and his COO, Sheryl Sandberg, are
now beginning a new type of communication, that of finding organ donors. With just one click you can let people
know you will donate organs. Researchers have predicted that this could enable
the wait list to disappear within 3-4 years. Mark and Sheryl’s dream has been to make lives better
through facebook. Many people come
together during disasters through Marks invention. Now they
are motivating people to help people in a different way. In Marks interview he stated, “Through this computer-networking tool
we can now save lives. We can help
many of those people that die searching for a donor and lead them to their
hope.” After this story was in the
news yesterday more people signed up to be an organ donor during one day than
usually sign up in a month. They
are forming a community of people who give the greatest gift of all, life.
Many may have a different outlook on organ donation, but
seeing the results first hand I am an organ donor. My sister was brain dead, nothing left in her, her spirit
gone to heaven, and her body was a lifeless shell that was going to be placed
in the ground. Giving part of her
was how our family could somehow find comfort in her death. The death of a young vibrant 35 year
old who had a two-month-old child was difficult to understand, but by giving
life to another made it somewhat bearable. The Lord
wants us to help others and love others.
Just as Jesus died for us giving us salvation, we can help others by
giving them hope for a longer life.
Dear Lord in life what seems foreign to some seems natural
to others. We are unable to walk
in someone’s shoes until we experience the same path that they have journeyed
through. Help those who do not see
organ donation as fit as being a way to give someone life. We know that you have enabled these
medical miracles. Thank You for
leading the way to new miraculous inventions. During 2012 continue to lead researchers in finding ways to
give longer lives to those who need to finish their “walk of work” on earth for You.
Luke
10:25-37 (NIV) The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On
one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked,
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the
Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]” 28 “You have answered
correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to
justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A
man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.
They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half
dead. 31 A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he
passed by on the other side. 32 So
too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other
side. 33 But
a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he
took pity on him. 34 He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the
man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took
out two denarii[c]
and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return,
I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three
do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law
replied, “The one who had mercy on him. ”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Read more for a religious view on organ donation:
http://www.christianliferesources.com/article/what-the-bible-says-about-organ-transplants-417
Christian Life Resources For Life, For Family, What the Bible Says About Organ
Transplants, Bobby A. Howard, RN, BSN, MDiv, Journal of Christian Nursing, Vol.
15, No 4: Permission granted by JCN
Read about ARORA (Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency)
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