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 This
Article was posted in the local paper it was written by Tara's Mother
and I have been given permission to use it on the website.
Donating organs can save many lives
Last week was National Organ and
Tissue Donor Awareness Week. I never really thought about organ
donation, even after my daughter Cheyenne was diagnosed with a rare
kidney disease seven years ago.
The prospect of a transplant was so far into the future that it didn't
seem like an issue I needed to concern myself with. Unfortunately, my
daughter's health has been deteriorating in the past year, and we had
set a date for her transplant. Her kidneys, however, were unable to last
and failed in early April.
She had a chest catheter put in for dialysis right away, and we had
moved up her transplant date to April 26. Then, this past Saturday,
Cheyenne woke up with a temperature of 105.9 degrees, and by the time we
got her to the emergency room, it was up to 107.1 degrees. Her dialysis
line got infected, and we have had to postpone her transplant until May
31.
Cheyenne is lucky enough to have a living donor, her stepfather, Rob,
who
matches and is willing to give her a kidney. Even with a kidney,
unavoidable things such as an infection can happen. In order to have a
transplant, your body has to be infection free. You can't even have a
cavity.
Today, more than 68,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant.
Without increased donation, as many as 13 patients will die each day.
It's not enough to check "yes" to donation on your driver's
license. At the time of your death, your family still has to give their
permission to donate your tissue and organs.
Please, if you find it in your heart to want to be a donor, make your
wishes known to your family. Just think of how many lives you can save.
"Don't take your organs to Heaven. Heaven knows we need them
here."
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