A friend had this posted on Facebook, and it's a great feel good story around the holiday's. A family in Lakewood, my hometown, has revealed that their wife/mother was the woman who donated her face to the first ever face transplant that took place at the Cleveland Clinic. The article can be found on Cleveland.com here.
This article touched me for a number of reasons. Growing up my family had a great family friend, J.R. As a Type 1 diabetic he had his share of health problems, and he had three different transplants that allowed him to live a longer and easier life than if he hadn't. He has since succumbed to his illness, but was always so appreciative of the people who donated their organs to him. In the spring of 2008 my aunt died unexpectedly and as per her wishes she was an organ donor. We will never meet the people who benefited from her donations, but I am sure that they are appreciative as well. It's nice to read an article about a family who did get to meet the recipient and to again be reminded how much of a gift this can be for people.
I am proud to have the organ donor stamp on my license, have a living will that dictates what I want done should I find myself in a brain dead state, and have discussed it extensively with my family. None of us have plans to leave this earth early or soon even, but as life is unpredictable it is important to think about these things.
Have you considered becoming an organ donor?
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