District 153 State Rep. Steve Cookson recently was appointed by Gov. Eric Greitens to serve on the state's Organ Donation Advisory Committee. His term will last until Jan. 2020.
Earlier this year, Cookson was diagnosed with kidney failure and in April announced on the Missouri House of Representatives floor that he is in need of a life-saving liver transplant. Cookson said he plans to use his position on the committee to raise awareness about the need for organ donation.
"Being on this committee is not something I'm doing to help myself, but I'm very in-tune to the situation," Cookson said.
The 10-member committee advises the Missouri Dept. of Health and Senior Services on the effective development and implementation of the Organ and Tissue Donor Program. The committee is filled by governor appointment when vacancies arise.
"I'd like to show there is a tremendous need for organ donors," Cookson said. "After they've left this world, they can donate their organs so other people can have hope."
Prior to his committee appointment, Cookson, along with representatives from Mid-America Transplant, held a donor-registration drive at the Three Rivers Raiders basketball game on Nov. 7. During halftime, Cookson shared his personal testimony and spoke about the struggle families face when a loved one needs an organ. He offered a message that said, with organ donation, life can be granted through loss.
"At the present time there are 115,000 people on the list waiting to receive organs," he said, "and I am one of them."
Cookson asked the crowd to imagine if their own spouse, child or grandchild's life relied on an organ.
"You'd be eternally grateful. To most people (the donors) would be heroes; heroes that you'll never get to meet or know," he continued.
Cookson's committee appointment is independent of his status as state representative, and will exceed his time in the legislature as his term expires on Dec. 31, 2018, when he meets the end of his term limit.
Cookson said he is thrilled for the opportunity to spread the message about organ donation to people in Southeast Missouri and across the state.
"This isn't about me. It's about the kids. It's about the families. It's about saving lives," he said.
An e-mailed request for a press release from the governor's office was unfulfilled at press time.