Organ donations gave village resident a new chance at life
Friday July 5, 2013, 1:45 PM
The Ridgewood News
Organ donations gave resident new chance at life
To the editor:
Having received a liver transplant in 2008, I was naturally drawn to the recent story (and controversy) of the little girl – Sarah Murnagham – who was in need of a lung transplant. While I don’t wish to debate the controversy surrounding this case, I’m glad Sarah received the transplant and will have a second chance at life.
But the underlying story in Sarah’s case is the desperate need for organ donors. Receiving an organ transplant is something that is foreign to most of us. Most people think it is something that will never happen to them, but if it does, it not only changes your life, but it gives your life new meaning. Not a day goes by where I don’t think how lucky I am and how fortunate I was that someone I have never met gave part of herself so I can live. Not a day goes by that I don’t think and wonder who this person was and how amazing she must have been to give part of herself to someone else.
It is that gift of life that I am so thankful for. Thankful that I will be able to see my three beautiful daughters grow up and lead them into adulthood and to see all the milestones that they will achieve in life.
Currently, nearly 120,000 men, women and children are awaiting organ transplants in the United States. For specific numbers visit unos.org
65,991 Multicultural Patients*
1,760 Pediatric Patients*
28,052 Organ Transplants Performed in 2012
14,013 Organ Donors in 2012
More than 46,000 corneas were transplanted in 2012
More than 1 million tissue transplants are done each year and the surgical need for tissue has been steadily rising
*as of March 2013
https://donatelife.net/understanding-donation/organ-donation/
https://www.organdonor.gov/index.html
https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organ-donation/FL00077
This is a beautiful letter. Please be aware that even elderly bodies and bodies that are not in good health can also be donors. Portions of skin, eyes, and other tissues can be transplanted even if major organs cannot. Some transplants are not life saving, but improve the life of someone else. I learned this when my mother died at 85, having suffered from various medical conditions. It never would have occurred to me that her body could provide healthy tissue, but I was approached immediately upon her death and asked whether I would allow donation….of course I was happy to do so, and to know that she could contribute to the continuum of life. So…regardless of your age or general,health, make your wishes known regarding donation of parts of your body upon your death.