Donate life

 It was early spring 1993, and I was a wide eyed, naïve 18-year-old college student working the mid shift at UT Hospital, in Knoxville. It was a night I will never forget. As a pharmacy technician at the time, my responsibilities included going to each nurses’ station on the hour to pick up “yellow sheets,” which were basically prescription orders for the pharmacy to fill and bring the orders from the last hour to the nurses’ station. UT Hospital was a large hospital and contained 12 floors, two of which were dedicated to specialty Intensive Care Units. Everything from a Medical Intensive Care unit, which cared for patients suffering from severe infections, to a Trauma Intensive Care unit, which dealt only with trauma patients, usually patients involved in car accidents or falls. This night, in the spring of 1993, as I was making my rounds, a young woman, around my age had been brought to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit. Her family was gathered around the nurses’ station talking to the various physicians and nurses. They were obviously distraught as they had just learned that their daughter was brain dead after a head on collision with a drunk driver. I tried not to listen in on the conversation because it wasn’t any of my concern, but the mom of this girl turned to me and held me tight. I think I reminded her of her daughter that lay just beyond me, hooked up to every machine imaginable. I just let her sob into my shoulder, and I held her back. I didn’t know what to do, so I cried with them. I couldn’t imagine the pain they were feeling, and it broke my heart that they were having to say goodbye to their loved one. After some time, the mom made eye contact with me, and she apologized. I was still crying and mumbled that I was so sorry. I had no idea what to say or what to do other than just hug her and let her cry. I stayed there with the family for over an hour. Luckily, one of the nurses called down to the pharmacy and told them what was going on so I wouldn’t get in trouble. During that hour, I learned a lot about this young woman and her beautiful life.

She was an honor student at neighboring Maryville College at the time of the accident and was in her sophomore year. She had graduated high school at the top of her class, and she had aspirations of becoming an early childhood educator. She was active in her church and her community. One of her closest friends growing up had received a kidney transplant when she was in elementary school, and she watched her friend go from thrice weekly dialysis treatments prior to the transplant to becoming completely independent and vibrant. She had expressed to her mom that if anything ever happened to her, she would want to donate her organs to help someone like someone had helped her friend. I listened to the grieving mother and offered no advice as I wasn’t qualified or prepared to offer anything other than sympathy for this heart-wrenching decision. I often think about that night in the spring of 1993 and how it changed me. I was put there for a reason.  I have since become an organ donor myself, inspired by the selfless act of this young woman whom I had never met alive but inspired me from beyond. As I worked my way through college and later pharmacy school, I reveled in the technology and science that had evolved surrounding organ donation. While I will spare you from boring scientific details, I will share some facts about organ donation that I have learned.

Each year, in April, America pauses to celebrate National Donate Life Month. At any given moment in the United States, more than 100,000 people are on a waiting list for life saving organ transplant. More than 1,900 of those patients are children. Last year, in America, more than 1,890 children were saved by the generosity of donors. While back in 1993, the primary method of donation involved the death of one human to save another, living donation is possible today. Kidney and partial liver transplants are performed almost daily involving living donors.  People of all ages and medical histories can be potential donors. Your medical condition at time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated. Registering as a donor will not change the care you receive if something were to happen to you. Your life always comes first. Only after every attempt has been made to save your life will donation even become an option. Donation will not affect any funeral plans. Viewing can still occur as your body is treated with care and respect. All major religions support donation as a final act of compassion and generosity. A national system is set up here in America to match available organs from the donor to patients on the waiting list based on blood type, body size, how sick they are, donor distance, tissue types, and time on the list. Race, gender, income, social status, financial status, etc. does NOT prevent someone as registering as an organ donor. One donor can save up to eight lives!

If you are interested in learning more about organ donation or want to register to become a donor after death, please visit RegisterMe.org. If you are interested in learning more or becoming a living donor, please visit Donate.Life.net. As always, please don’t hesitate to call me or stop by if you have specific questions. I am always here to help!