I love April for a million reasons—the showers bring May flowers, spring gets sprung, it’s time to put the pantyhose away and bring out the sandals—ok, so I wasn’t wearing the pantyhose anyway—but as April moves quickly to a close, please allow me to campaign on behalf of National Donate Life Month.
No, I’m not asking you to donate your life, merely asking you to consider being an organ and tissue donor as a way to save or enhance someone else’s life. Look at it this way—anything you have here on earth won’t be working when you get to your new place, so gift it here to make life richer and more meaningful for families and individuals who literally and physically need it.
Check out these numbers from www.organdonor.gov: at this very moment 105,997 men, women and children are on the national transplant list; every nine minutes another person goes on the list; every day 17 people die while waiting for organs; one donor can save eight lives and enhance 75 others; and in 2021, 40,000 transplants were performed.
Donating life may mean giving your heart, liver, lung, kidney, pancreas, face, hands, marrow, abdominal wall, skin—the list goes on–and the wonderful thing about donating an organ is that in many instances you can be a living donor.
When my father died of a massive heart attack one Saturday morning, our family had not had an organ/tissue conversation with him, but he was such a generous person, it made sense that if he could help a few more people, especially in death, we thought he would’ve wanted to. So, we shared everything he had.
The following year we went to the recognition service the transplant facility hosted. After listening to the stories from the recipients and their families, I knew we did the right thing. I reminded my family that I was planning to get new stuff when I arrived at my destination so be as generous as possible with my old stuff. These conversations are important but you should also indicate your wishes on your license and in your living will.
Becoming an organ donor is not a racy topic but it is important to have this discussion with your family or the person who will be making your end-of-life decisions. Like Dr. Frankenstein, we can’t build a person but we can certainly help to rebuild lives.
Do this today: register to be a donor, contribute to an organ-donor related cause in memory or in honor of someone you love; and discuss the possibility with your family.
On an isn’t-2022-moving-quickly note, May 3 is World Press Day. Please take a moment, rejoice for this observation, and pray for journalists around the world who are risking life and limb to tell stories they believe must be told. Please pay attention and appreciate what this means.
In the United States we treasure a free press and while the media have come under attack the past few years, we need journalists to be in the dangerous, dark, and corrupt places to report fully and accurately what they see, provide context without bias, and especially when lying, propaganda, power-grabbing, and omissions lead the nightly newscasts and front pages.
As a card-carrying journalist for almost 40 years, and a news junkie since childhood, I say thank you very much to these brave souls. Keep up the good work and know that we are praying for your safety and the important work you do.
Looking for inspiration, empowerment, uplift, straight talk, an encouraging word to brighten your day? You’ve arrived! Meet Dr. Cynthia Ann Bond Hopson, best-selling author, educator, inspirational speaker, sistergirl–she’s all that and more. Now listen to her new podcast, “Three Stores, Two Cotton Gins, One Remarkable Life: The Journey from There To Here,” and meet her favorite family and friends as they share laughter and heartwarming life lessons. Look for it on this page or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
