• My Mom's Mother Theresa by Anonymous- a daughter's story of a living donor transplant.
• My Father's Mitzvah by Anonymous - how Judiasm helped a daughter honor her dying father's wishes.
• An Interminable Wait by Lindsey Michon - a daughter talks about her father's wait for a transplant.
• Inspiring Patients by Jessica Chawla - an intern in a transplant unit talks about transplant patients.

I was a first year at Wellesley, adjusting to life away from home, when I found out my mom had kidney disease.
     She had known for many, many years, but chose not to tell me until reduced kidney function threatened to put her on dialysis. Finding out my mom was sick was a shock. Her mother, my grandmother, died of kidney failure before I was born, and Iíve always regretted not knowing her. Was my mom going to die, too? 
     Then past summer, one of my momís coworkers donated a kidney to her. My family laughingly calls Sandy, my momís donor, ìMother Theresa.î But really, itís no joke. Choosing to be an organ donor ñ either in life or in death ñ is an incredibly courageous, important thing to do. Thousands of people across the country are waiting for donor organs, and not all of them will have the luck my mom had; some will die waiting.
     I formed ODE to raise awareness of organ donation at Wellesley, because I believe Wellesley women have strong voices in the world and can help change some of the false beliefs about organ donation. If the number of organ donors increases, then waiting lists will go down, and fewer people will die awaiting transplants.     I have a fifty percent chance that Iíll inherit my momís kidney disease. If I need a transplant, will I get one?

An Interminable Wait

To me, my father is a teddy bear. When I am sick, he wraps his big arms around me.  When I physically ache, he uses his big bear paws to give me a heavenly back rub. When I need my father most, he is there.
     My father will soon need someone else's kindness. His doctors have told him that he will need a liver transplant in the next couple of years. To make matters worse, his chances of receiving one are limited. Why? My father contracted his deadly disease, Hepatitis C, through youthful indiscretions long since forgotten. Because of these indiscretions, he was told that he will not be high on the list for a liver. And this waiting list, unfortunately, is never-ending.
     This is where the kindness of strangers comes in. In ODE, we have a button that says, "Don't take your organs to heaven ñ heaven knows we need them here." How true this is! If more people would be willing to give the gift of life to people like my father, then those on the organ waiting lists wouldn't have to wait the interminable amount of time that they do now. I ask you, on behalf of my father and countless others, to become an organ donor. Through you, someone can have a new beginning.

My Father's Mitzvah

My father died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm and suddenly I had to face all sorts of realities I wasn't ready for. One of those realities was deciding whether or not to donate my father's organs. 
     My mother felt strongly that this was something he wanted and said they had talked about it. Knowing that made the decision so much easier, because believe me, you don't want to be guessing about a loved one's wishes when the time comes. Talk to your family and make your wishes known.
     Another aspect that made the decision easier was the support we received from my Rabbi. He assured us that Jewish law encourages organ donation whenever possible. Doing something that has the potential to save a life is always the highest mitzvah, or good deed. To my knowledge, all of the world's major religions support organ donation. 
     The last time I said good-bye to my father in the hospital, he was still breathing with the help of a respirator. But it makes me feel good to know that my father's gift is helping to keep someone else's father alive.

Inspiring Patients

The summer I spent interning in the transplant unit at the University of Washington Medical Center opened my eyes to the urgent need for organ donors. People often have to wait between three and five years for an organ ñ especially for a liver. Some even die waiting.
     One of the most inspiring cases I was involved with during my summer internship involved a two-year old boy with liver cancer. He was in desperate need of a transplant, and was lucky enough to get one. His new liver came from an eleven-year old boy. The courage of that eleven-year-old's family gave this two-year-old a new shot in his young life. 
     As the daughter of an organ recipient, I am forever grateful to organ donors and their families, as their generosity gives life to someone else.
     The huge shortage of organs in this country presents patients with difficult choices. Waiting, often for years, causes some patients to lose hope. Seeing these patients was difficult for me, but it was necessary to keep them in good spirits throughout their illnesses. After transplantation, many said they felt like a whole new person.  To be an organ donor is to give life to another human ñ a gift that is eternally appreciated.

All stories (c) 2000 ODE and used with authors' permission.