Go green and give the gift of life

Go green and give the gift of life
By Letter to the editor from Kathy Champa- Ely, Minn.

Thank you for the interesting and inspiring story in last week’s Timberjay regarding organ donation awareness. We take our body and its day to day function for granted until we or someone we know is faced with a life threatening illness or perhaps death itself, and then we tend to realize how fragile life can be and how important others are in our personal life journey.

My husband and I experienced the Gift of Life last year when his kidneys were failing and his health declining. Fortunately he and I were compatible and he received my kidney. This was truly a humbling experience for me to have made a difference in someone’s quality of life. He has returned to normal kidney function and his improved quality of life is a daily testament to me that donation was very worthwhile.

In our transplant journey we met so many others in Ely and at the University of Minnesota with similar stories. Many of them had been living donors or knew someone who had been a donor and we met recipients of new kidneys, lungs, pancreas, and hearts who were so very grateful for the Gift and Renewal of Life. I recently read that over 100,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant and that process can take over 10 years without a living donor. To be a living donor is a very personal decision and not to be taken lightly, however the choice to be a donor at death is another option. What better way to leave your legacy then to be a designated donor at death and recycle yourself. These are the true heroes, for at their death they leave behind a legacy of hope for others in need, through multiple organ, tissue, and eye donations. We cannot take our body with us but we can still leave this world a better place through end of life organ donation. Please consider being a designated organ donor on renewal of your driver’s license or designation through an advanced directive. In the mean time take care of your body, it’s the only one you have!!

We also realize it takes a village to make it in this world and the support we received during our transplant journey was phenomenal. We all need to rally around others facing personal crisis and illness by supporting them individually and as a community. Attend the benefits for those in need. Lend a helping hand or just listen to their stories. What goes around always comes back around and makes life so worthwhile when you are part of making a difference in another’s wellbeing. Go Green, Recycle Yourself!

http://www.timberjay.com/current.php?article=5248