Organ donation can bring gratitude to darkest dayNovember 30, 2008
Last Thanksgiving, my life changed forever.
My younger brother and only sibling, Trey, was in a very serious car accident, and after several days in the hospital, he died from his injuries. It was Thanksgiving Day.
There is no doubt that Thanksgiving, and life in general, will never be the same for those who loved Trey, but I believe the timing of his death was significant. It forced us to approach even our darkest day with a spirit of gratitude.
Trey and I both worked for Sen. Lamar Alexander for years, and you can't work or even be around Sen. Alexander for very long without hearing him quote his friend Alex Haley, who said, "Find the good and praise it."
For me, part of "the good" came when we learned that Trey would die the same way he lived, by loving and giving. I like to say that Trey, more than anyone else I know, tried to live his life according to our Lord's commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. As a natural extension of his generous spirit, he had chosen to be an organ and tissue donor, and because of his loving choice, at least five people were given new life: two single mothers in their 40s, a 56-year-old mother of two who had been married for 28 years, a 36-year-old gentleman who enjoyed fishing (one of Trey's favorite pastimes) and a 62-year-old physician and father of four who had been on the transplant list for two years.
My family has learned a lot about organ donation in the year since Trey's death. In particular, we've experienced firsthand that while marking "yes" to organ donation is critical, it's just as important to share your wishes with family members. As the Tennessee Donor Services Web site states: "A discussion with family now will mean a life-affirming decision later."
According to Tennessee Donor Services, Trey renewed his driver's license at a kiosk in Nashville on May 14, 2007, and marked "yes" to organ and tissue donation. His girlfriend, Jane, also recalled a conversation with Trey just a few weeks before his death indicating his wish to donate "everything." She remembers him saying, "I'll be with the Big Guy. Give it all." As we sat in the hospital waiting room, I struggled with the decision to donate his eyes. It seemed so invasive. But they were not my eyes to give. They were Trey's, he didn't need them in heaven, and he had made it very clear to "give it all."
Many people find talk of organ donation uncomfortable and maybe even morbid. And many people believe organ donation is a good thing, but just put off doing something about it for another day. According to TDS, a survey conducted by the National Coalition on Donation found that 91 percent of respondents support donation, and yet 29 percent have taken no action to indicate their wishes via their driver's license, donor card, living will or by simply telling their family. That was me. I'm embarrassed to say that I signed my driver's license the day that Trey died. I'm so thankful that my responsible brother was not part of that 29 percent like I was.
Because of his decision to be an organ donor, Trey's story became a resurrection story. Out of death and despair came new life, and our Thanksgiving became an Easter. Through our tears we rejoiced knowing that five families had gotten a call on Thanksgiving Day with news that their loved one would be receiving a life-giving organ. What an incredible Thanksgiving for them!
True story: On my mother's birthday last March she was having dinner with my stepfather at a restaurant in their hometown, 250 miles from the site of Trey's hospitalization, when a gentleman approached her and thanked her for the very special gift her son had given him. It was the 62-year-old physician and the keeper of one of Trey's kidneys. The gift - the good - had come full circle.
Laura Lefler is from Loudon, and currently lives in Washington, D.C., where she serves as press secretary for U.S. Sen. Bob Corker. Before his death on Nov. 22, 2007, Trey Lefler, 25, was serving as state field representative for U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander's re-election campaign. Write to Lefler at laura_Lefler@corker.senate.gov.
http://jacksonsun.com/article/20081130/OPINION/811300306/1002/rss
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