What is the greatest gift you have ever received? In an area that covers three states, 800 people have received what can truly be called the greatest gift, the gift of life, thanks to the just under 300 selfless souls in our area who chose to be an organ donor.
Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center was the recipient of an award Thursday for helping 35 people receive lifesaving treatment with tissue donations to Mid-America Transplant. Ron Gegg, hospital services director for Mid-America Transplant, was on hand to present the award to Chief Operating Officer of PBRMC Chris Jones for the hospital’s efforts, and to remind everyone about the importance of being an organ donor.
April was National Donate Life Month, and with all that has gone on in the world, the ceremony would have been held then, but Mid-America Transplant was determined to recognize the efforts of the staff at PBRMC.
Nationwide, 115,000 people are awaiting a transplant and out of that number, 1,800 live in Missouri. A name is added every 10 seconds to that list, and up to 22 people each day die because the organ they need does not become available.
Kim Moseley, who works in Hospital Services at Mid-America Transplant, explained the dual nature of how Mid-America Transplant and hospitals like PBRMC deal with the very sensitive subject of organ donation.
“We work as advocates for those that are waiting, but we’re also an advocate of the potential donor family. When they’ve experienced a horrible loss, the loss of their loved one, it can be a good thing for the donor family as well. It can change the narrative of death and declare that death is not the final say for their loved one. Their loved one died a hero because they gave the gift of life to another person,” Moseley said.
Some people might be hesitant to sign up to become an organ donor for any number of reasons.
“I think there are a lot of myths and fears out there that if they have organ donor on their driver’s license and the paramedics or physicians see that maybe they feel that their care would not be up to par because maybe they think, oh, they’re just going to let me be a donor and really and truly, we’re in the business of saving lives,” Moseley emphasized. “Organ donation and tissue donation is a last resort; we come in, we introduce the idea when there is no other option left, and then they have two decisions, to become an organ donor, or decide what funeral home to call. That’s when we become involved.”
It’s essential to remember all major religions support organ, eye and tissue donation. Anyone can be a donor regardless of age or medical history. And perhaps most importantly, there is no cost to the donor’s family or estate. The donor’s family is only responsible for medical expenses incurred before death and any funeral arrangements.
And by signing up to be an organ donor, when the time comes, considering the difficult question of organ donation is one less thing a loved one will have to worry about during one of their most difficult times.
The process of getting on the organ donor registry is simple. Tthe simplest way is registering at the DMV, but you can also register by visiting midamericatransplant.org.
Not to mention, you can change the lives of others in ways that you can’t even imagine. And you can enhance the lives of your loved ones that you leave behind.
Moseley described what many families feel after donations.
“So many families tell us that the gift of giving and hearing of the good that their loved one was able to bring through the gift of donation has brought peace to their grief journey. We send them a follow-up letter that tells them your loved one’s right kidney went to a 59-year-old male who was on the waiting list for two years. Their liver went to a 64-year-old female, and so they carry those letters with them, and they show them to everybody that will listen and read it because they’re so proud of the legacy that their loved ones left behind.”