Her Soul in the Sky
I've been in contact with my donor's family only through letters, however I do know that her organs were given through the Carolina Donor Services. I found this out when the organization sent me a waiver asking me to release my personal contact information to them directly - which I did without hesitation. If the time comes, we will do our best to receive well, always remembering their pain. In life, you have to give well but you also have to receive well. We will remind them that Chloe lives on and has given me a life back. A life that now involves long talks with college friends, family traditions still carried out with my presence, and last week - my first business trip since my transplant. Ironically enough, we flew through Charlotte, NC - maybe close to her home? It just so happened to be right around sunset and I think Chloe's soul was up there with me, dancing through the clouds with joy over the fact that her heart was back home. It reminded me of the following bible verse: Revelations 21:4-5 - "In eternity we will not need our earthly bodies: Former things will pass away, all things will be made new."
Seeing the great sky above Chloe's home state was a spiritual experience and I wondered, was her soul up there or was it back in high school, watching over her friends? Maybe it's at home, snuggled up to keep her mother warm from the chill of her loss? For now, I do not know but one thing is for sure, I will celebrate National Donor Sabbath this year which takes place 14-16, 2008. This celebration is an annual observance intended to raise awareness, through religious communities, of the urgent need for organ and tissue donation. (This photo was taken from my seat in the airplane)
No matter your religious views, if you have been effected by organ donation or transplantation I hope you can relate to the following quote from Chaplain Joel De Fehr, Director, Pastoral Care, Integris Southwest Medical Center -
Transplantation isn't a rare or experimental procedure anymore, but it is still a miracle every time it happens. Obviously, it is a miracle of new life for those who are dying, but I believe it is also a miracle for those who give. Most of those who donate are doing so in the midst of profound sorrow and pain, and yet, they are still able to think of the needs of others and to give when all they feel is loss.
