I don’t want the month to end without acknowledging that it's National Donate Life Month.
It was nearly 30 years ago that my mother needed a kidney transplant, and two years later, a heart transplant. Unfortunately, she never received either, initially due to the long waiting list and then later because of another medical condition. Fast forward to five years ago when my daughter (my mother's namesake) was becoming a Bat Mitzvah. She spent the month of April raising awareness on social media and holding 2 fundraisers for the NJ Sharing Network.
When my father passed away two months ago, my family once again contacted the NJ Sharing Network to harvest what was viable for donation - his skin. There was enough to help up to 50 burn victims or breast cancer survivors having reconstructive surgery. This was a gift that I'm so happy my father could give!
April is National Donate Life Month and with just a few days remaining, I have been thinking about the 114K people on the waiting list, waiting to hear that an organ or tissue is available. With the COVID-19 pandemic, these calls have sadly not been happening all that often.
When this is all behind us, and you are in the (unfortunate) position of losing a loved one, please remember that you can give the gift of life. My mother never got that call, and I'll never know how many people did because of my father. That's fine with me. Knowing that it happened is more than good enough for me.
Thank you to everyone who is helping keep us safe and healthy! For now, stay home and safe. But later, remember to donate life!