Organ donation has been heavy on my mind lately. I have always been logged as a donor, and that won’t change. What has changed is my perspective of it. Working in the operating room has given me the unique opportunity to see organs up close and personal. I hope I never lose my awe of it.
With organ donation there are only a select few people who get to see the full spectrum, the sad and painful, and the hopeful and joyful. For the rest, they are stuck on one side or the other.
I personally am extremely curious and want to know full stories. I know that if I’m ever in need of an organ, it’s unlikely that I’ll know the story that brings me a second chance...but I can change that for my recipients. Tonight I wrote a separate letter to the people who will receive my heart and my lungs.
It’s an extremely interesting job to take on. Writing a letter to a stranger knowing that you will be dead when they read it! Especially when death seems no where close to happening. What would you tell them if you had the chance?
My letters are and will remain private unless the recipient chooses to share it, but there were a few key points I had in both letters I’ve written so far.
1. This was my gift to you because it was a gift to me
2. Live life fully!
3. Feel no guilt- I place none on you.
And,
4. Use this second chance to determine whether I will meet you in heaven someday.
Each letter turned out so differently. They were both so personal in their own way. I so wish I could see the outcome..whether they even choose to read my letter! (There’s my curious nature again.)
I know this probably seems extremely odd, but it was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced. I acted on the idea immediately because we truly never know what day will be our last. While I hope and pray to have a long life on this earth, I’m so glad to have taken care of this task.
If you were to write a similar letter, what would you want your recipient to know?
What sparked the idea to write these letters? If I were to receive an organ from a donor, I would deeply cherish such a letter. I've never thought about what I'd say when my organs get donated, but I have thought about it from the receiving end. I often think about what I will say when I get to heaven and finally meet the man who gave his life to save my husband's life. Because of that undeserved gift, my husband has consciously chosen to live according to those very things you listed.
ReplyDeleteThat is so inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing! I got the idea after a combination of difficult emotional cases at work and very suddenly losing an aunt on my birthday. (I don’t know if she was a donor, just her death got me thinking) I’ve only been able to be on the sad side of the situation and I wanted to make sure I contributed to the happy side eventually. It’s amazing how it changed how I think about my body! Not only do I need to take care of my body for my own life, but someone else’s life could depend on it too. It’s truly profound.
DeleteThank you again for sharing with me!