Donate Life!! - please read this

This past Saturday, I had the wonderful privilege to go to the Donor Network of Arizona Family Gathering as a guest of a donor family.

First, I'll explain how I was able to go as a guest of a donor family. Five years ago, this past July, we had a good friend named Nick. He was 21 years old. He lived upstairs from us at the apartment we used to live in. He and James were very close. It was pretty much constant that either Nick was at our house or James was at their house. Early in the morning on July 10, Nick had a really bad asthma attack and despite attempting to use his inhaler and SVN machine he passed away before the paramedics got there. They were unable to revive him.

Nick was from Oregon and was here going to school. His Mom came here and we met for the first time after he passed away. In the past five years, we have come to know each other really well and have become family.

This is the second time we have gone with her to the Family Gathering. It is such a beautiful, amazing, emotional event!! The people who are there running the event(employees and volunteers from Donor Network and also Recipients) are so loving, compassionate, respectful and giving. They presented each person there with a book called "Remembering Everyday Heroes" with all of the Donors with their picture and a little about each person. They fed us amazing food all day long, from the moment we arrived and all throughout the day.

The most emotional part of the event was hearing the stories. About 15 families presented their story about their loved one who passed away or who was a recipient. Their ages were completely varied from a 2-day old infant, children, teenagers and adults both young and old. Their stories were griping about how their loved one died and they made the decision to give life to someone else. They told what items were donated and some told the ages and situations of how an organ or other item had saved or improved a person's life. Among the families presenting about their loss, there were families who were recipients of the gift of life. There were a few children who were so cute and said that now they're "healthy and happy" because of a lung (or heart or liver, etc.) transplant. It was so precious and so awesome. I really loved to hear the story of a young man, who was 19 years old who donated his organs after a deadly car accident. With his family was a gentleman (and his wife) who spoke after the mother and said that the day after the family lost their son, he gained his life. He was given this young man's liver (I think - it may have been lungs). It was so amazing and wonderful to see both families together.

I really hope that all of you have registered to be donors. Our bodies will just rot in the ground. God doesn't need our body parts. He will make us perfect. Like all of the families I met, you never know when death will come. Please talk to your family members to find out their wishes, if they were to pass away suddenly. I know that this is not a topic that is fun to think about or to discuss. But, it is so important. We won't need our body parts after we die, and many, many people are waiting for the most amazing gift you could ever give. Please don't put this off. You never know when God will call us home. Please go here to register to be a donor. http://www.azdonorregistry.org/ You can give the greatest earthly gift that can be given.