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Courage

By the time you read this, my brother-in-law, Vance, will be in surgery.  Roger's older brother is donating a kidney today to his brother-in-law, Mark (the husband of Roger's and Vance's sister, Becky). (Did you follow all of that?)


Mark & Becky
Vance
 Mark has been in need of a kidney transplant for almost a year now. When the family heard the news, almost everyone offered themselves for testing and it turned out that Vance was a perfect match. 

I admire Mark for his courage in the face of medical challenges.

I admire Vance for his selfless act of generosity.


I admire Roger's family for their endless support of one another.

This is a good opportunity to remind you of some important facts about blood, tissue, and organ donation:
  • Organ donation:
    • People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.
    • Organs and tissues that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bone, and heart valves.
    • There is no national registry of organ donors. Even if you have indicated your wishes on your drivers' license or a donor card, be sure you have told your family as they will be consulted before donation can take place.
    • All major religions approve of organ and tissue donation and consider donation the greatest gift.
    • An open-casket funeral is possible for organ and tissue donors.
  •  Bone Marrow Donation
    • Most bone marrow donations do not involve surgery. 
    • Bone marrow donation is relatively painless and is usually a "same-day" procedure.
    • Becoming a part of the registry takes about 15 minutes. Both Roger and I have done it.  
    • On average, 1 in every 540 people who register for the bone marrow donation program will be contacted as a match. 
  • Blood donation
    • I have already told you how important it is to donate blood if you are able.
    • One pint of blood saves 3 lives. If you donate platelets, you can save even more lives.
    • All types of blood are needed. Hospitals use over 43,000 pints of blood in the US and Canada every day.  
    • If everyone eligible to donate would give at least 3 times a year, blood shortages would be rare.
If you have never registered as an organ or bone marrow donor, please consider adding your name to the list. Be sure to let your family know that you are an organ and bone marrow donor.  If you are able, please consider donating blood as often as possible.  


There are many ways to be courageous and even the small steps are important.
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