Giving back for a life saved

Giving back for a life saved

MARCIE WALDRON displays a star necklace that she makes as a "thank-you" for organ donors or their families. Bill Hoban/Index-Tribune
A star for a donor
By Sandi Hansen
INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Published:
Thu 7/30 6 PM
Sonoma Valley resident Marcie Becker Waldron, a double organ-transplant recipient, spoke before hundreds of organ-donor and tissue-donor family members at a national recognition ceremony this month in Washington D.C., and thanked them for their life-saving generosity.

Waldron, 57, was diagnosed diabetes at age 5, and in 1997, received a life-saving kidney and pancreas. Prior to the transplant, she had spent many years on dialysis 10 hours a day every day of the week, and had a leg amputated.

To personally express her deep gratitude to her donor family, 12 years ago, Waldron crafted a silver star necklace and presented it to the organ donor's mother. Thus began LifeStar jewelry, a creation of Waldron's as a special "thank you" from donor recipients to living donors and deceased donors' families.

Not only did Waldron present an inspirational speech at the 11th annual National Donor Recognition Ceremony July 19, in D.C., but also she handed out 500 personally handcrafted LifeStar jewelry pieces to honor the generosity of the country's heroes who make it possible for another person to live. To date, she has presented 5,000 LifeStar necklaces and pins at regional and national donor-recognition ceremonies.

Waldron said she makes each jewelry piece herself. " I start with silver wire and, with my handy pliers I bend the shape of a star and flatten the silver with a hammer and anvil. Then a team of other transplant recipients helps attach the star to a necklace chain, put it in a gift bag and package it to send."

She added that it is a special message to the donor families to receive a unique present in appreciation, after all, how do you thank someone for the gift of life? "Donor families are so thrilled to have something individually handmade. Many family members have never met a recipient to realize how thankful we are."

There are 60 different organizations in the United States that honor organ donors, and Waldron has been an inspirational speaker at the Northern California meetings for 12 years and at national events for the past several years. The biggest gathering in the country is the Transplant Games, an Olympic-style event where transplant recipients compete in various sporting events. Next July, she will be participating in the swimming competition in Madison, Wis.

Waldron, who is married to landscape architect Dave Waldron, has an incredibly upbeat attitude. "I'm so thankful for my current life. I'm healthy and energetic. I treasure my family and friends. I live in beautiful Sonoma, where I can participate in a varied array of events and nonprofit activities," she said.

One of her main goals is to inspire more people to become organ donors. "I want others to return to their lives, their families and their communities as I have. I may not be in perfect health, but life is great."

To sign up to be an organ and tissue donor, visit www.DonateLifeCalifornia.org.

For those who wish to know more about donating or more about LifeStar, her e-mail is MarcieStars@sbc.global.net and the Web address is www.LifeStar.info.

http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2009/07/31/news/doc4a6e4d98a590e897040017.txt