In June I attended the funeral of a friend who died while on a heart transplant list. In other words he died while waiting for a suitable heart to become available through donation. He was in his fifties, not old to die these days. It made me think of much younger people with young families who may be waiting now on organ donation transplants lists. What a wonderful gift it would be to give someone another chance at life.
I urge anyone reading this to consider becoming a donor. The most important step in becoming a donor is to discuss it with your loved ones; and discuss it now while you are well. Even if you have signed a donor card, it may distressing for your relatives to be asked about donation while they are facing the usually sudden loss of a loved one. The whole process is easier for everyone if your family or next-of-kin is clear about what you want.
Giving the eulogy at the funeral Mass, my friend’s brother said ‘we rejoice in the life of my brother; we too learned a lot about waiting while waiting with him on the transplant wait list. We grieve at his early passing but we are not overwhelmed because we are Resurrection people. We give thanks to all the people who have donated organs in the past and we hope that many will be inspired to do so in the future’.
So please think about it, talk about it, and sign up!
