Memorial Day Memories

The following post is courtesy of Mark Johnson, one of our hospital liaisons, and is a testament to the generosity of donors and the power of remembrance. 

On Memorial Day a friend and I were checking in for a round of golf and one of the guys behind the counter asked me what my relationship was to LifeSource.  After explaining my role with the organization I asked him if he was a donor family member and he mentioned that his daughter had died in 1990 and was able to donate her heart and both kidneys.  He asked that I stop by after my round so we could talk a little longer.

During our conversation later in the morning he thanked me for what LifeSource does and told me that losing his daughter was the cruelest blow he and his wife have ever experienced.  He also mentioned that when they think about their daughter they rarely think about how she died but more frequently remember that she was able to help other people.  He said he doesn’t recall a lot of details about the hospitalization but clearly remembers the conversation about donation, and that he and his wife never hesitated to say yes knowing that their daughter would be an answer to another family’s prayer.

19 years later and he was obviously still deeply impacted by their decision to donate.  Talking with this father I realized that the donor families we have worked with in the past, whether it was last week or 19 years ago, are affected forever by their interactions with LifeSource.     

To meet a donor Dad from so many years ago and to have another chance to honor their decision and their daughter’s gift was a wonderful way to celebrate Memorial Day!