Go tell someone... (and WGN TV!)
A few posts back, Jenn promoted the topic of giving. Since her post is “Part I” – the implication is that we would like to touch on giving a number of times during this giving season. Melissa followed Jenn’s lead with another post about giving… Jenn and Melissa are touching not only on “giving” financially or materially – they’re also touching on volunteering – giving your time.
I, of course, wandered merrily down my own path seemingly oblivious to any direction provided my fellow contributors… Laura usually asks, “Are you listening? Or are you just watching my lips move?” In my defense, she does have beautiful lips… I’ll try to get on track now…
I “met” a beautiful lady named CJ on Transplant Buddies who received a new liver this year. We went off-line and exchanged a few emails about writing our donor families. A lot of people at Transplant Buddies know I speak – and thanks to Risa, a lot of them know about Revive Hope too! Towards the end of one of her emails, CJ wrote:
How did you get started with public speaking? I’ve been mulling over contacting my nieces teacher (she is a transplant patient also) regarding promoting donor awareness in the school system. Problem is I have worked in meetings for 10 years. I know the behind the scenes aspect of it well but I’m not comfortable with being in the spotlight. (I no longer do meetings I was replaced while I was out for transplant. I work for the same association just in a different position now.)
This is what I wrote back to her:
Possibly like you – I never, ever imagined myself in the spotlight – I never imagined myself speaking to a group of 5-10 people, much less a thousand... But like you, my life has changed... With cystic fibrosis all of my life, I kept my disease to myself – I was not going to let it control my life... I controlled my CF, it did not control me -- until it got the upper hand... But even then, I never wore my illness like a badge... This I wear like a badge – my new lungs, I wear like a badge – I want everyone to know about it, and more important, about the beautiful girl who saved my life... And I wanted them to know even before I knew it was a beautiful girl who saved my life... Initially, like you, all I knew was that my donor was 17...
We have a story to tell – we have something that people desperately want to know about, and desperately need to know about... And when we tell that story – we're not only honoring the person and family who saved our lives – we will influence others to save lives in the future... I never sought the spotlight before – but I seek it now – and I show them Kari... I show them what she's done for me, and how I feel about her... They can see, loud and clear, that she is my hero and I will think about her until I take my last breath with her beautiful lungs...
And deep in my heart – what I hope is that they will walk away from me with her beautiful smile burned in their memories – and maybe a flicker of a thought that, at some point in the future, they too would like to be someone's hero – that they too would like to save a life, or several lives when they're finished on this beautiful planet...
CJ – it's surprising how quickly you get comfortable speaking to people... I always have butterflies, but what we have to say is too important to not say it... The butterflies go away when I start telling people about Kari and the gift she gave me… The butterflies go away because I realize how important it is that they know about these gifts and the people and families who give them... And they know that someday, they have the opportunity to be someone's hero...
Contact your niece's teacher – you know how we recipients tend to be – we usually welcome one another's help... You can also contact the liver foundation... And another avenue is your local/regional OPO / Organ Procurement Organization – I don't know what city you're from, but they're relatively easy to find... If you want me to find it, just tell me your general location and I'll let you know who it is... They all have volunteer bureaus – and they are always looking for helpers – people to staff booths/desks, help with mailings – and recipients to speak and tell their stories...
Your story might be especially powerful – from what I've read, this hit you out of the blue – you went from being healthy, or relatively healthy and screamed into liver failure in your late 30s... I was sick all of my life and knew transplant was in my cards for a long while – people need to understand that this can happen out of the blue to anyone – and there are just not enough people out there who have thought about organ donation and let people know that's what they want to do when they pass away... And a 22-year-old person, and their family, saved your life – and whether you learn who they are or not, you'll think about that person, mourn their loss, and be thankful for who they were for the rest of your life...
You're right about the whole public speaking thing – you'll never know what you can do – how powerful you may be – or whether you can do it, until you get out there and try... I, on the other hand, know that you've got a story to tell that needs to be told – and that only you can do it...
Organ donation is so much more than simply saving a life. It’s about love and about caring for people… It’s about realizing just how truly good people can be in this world. We who have benefited from, or witnessed this incredible gift, can give back with our stories… Especially for the 100,000-plus waiting for an organ; I think it’s important for us to share those stories…
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already made a difference in someone’s life, whether you’ve received or given an organ, or observed the giving of a gift… We all have wonderful stories – Go tell someone…
It doesn’t have to be a group – it doesn’t have to be dozens or thousands of people… You don’t have to conquer any fears. Tell one person – tell a friend, or a neighbor, or a co-worker… If you tell one person, that’s one more who knows – Go tell someone…
Imagine – it’s easy to imagine telling someone your story and convincing another person that organ donation is a good thing. And, it’s easy to imagine that person going home and telling their family, “I’d like to do that – I’d like my organs to save lives when I pass away…”
If you can imagine that, can you also imagine a devastating moment when a family honors their loved one’s decision?
Someone’s heart is beating steadily for the first time in a decade… Someone – perhaps two people, are breathing better than they have in years – maybe in forever! Someone is seeing the face of a spouse who has only been a distant memory – or the face of a grandchild for the first time ever! Two people are no longer tied to the torture of dialysis – and maybe one of them is no longer diabetic. Someone is waking from a coma with a new liver, and hugging a family who thought they may never be hugged again – Go tell someone…
I learned two years ago that one of Kari’s teachers was a kidney recipient… That understanding may have planted the seed in Kari’s beautiful mind that organ donation is a good thing – or, at least, reinforced that idea… I’ll never know if that made her vocal about her feelings about organ donation – I’ll never know if that saved my life. But, it’s a nice thought, ain’t it? Go tell someone…
WGN-TV… December 19th, during the 9pm news (Central time)…
There is a beautiful reporter over at WGN-TV named Jane Boal. She’s often involved in a segment called “Chicago’s Very Own.” I met her five years ago when I participated in a story about another donor and donor family – I was there to lend a recipient’s perspective. After the story was taped and aired – Jane and I exchanged a few emails. I tried to tell her how special and important it was for her to do the story she did, and I thanked her for helping people like me.
Five years later I got an email from Jane. She told me that my email back in 2003 was one of the nicest letters ever written to her about the work she does and believes in… And, she asked if I was still speaking for Gift of Hope about organ donation.
The fact was, I was speaking two days after that – but it was too soon to put anything together for a television spot. I told her about a donor-Dad, Tim Joos, and his beautiful daughter, Samantha – and that Tim and I were presenting.
On Monday, Jane and her camera-man, Mike, filmed a little impromptu session where Tim and I gave our presentations to a tiny audience at Gift of Hope. I don’t know what she will put together – her piece about organ donation 5 years ago was beautiful and powerful. I do know that many more people will know about Kari and Samantha on Friday night.
WGN is a “superstation” – it’s on a lot of cable networks all over the country. Jane’s “Chicago’s Very Own” segment is tentatively scheduled to air during the 9pm news on Friday, December 5th (that’s tomorrow…) Please, check it out if you can!!! (Please Note: The story has been rescheduled to run on Friday, December 19th during the 9pm news, but could run on Saturday, December 20th...)
After Jane filmed all she needed and interviewed the COO of Gift of Hope, she told me something that made me very proud. Jane told me that after hearing me tell her about Kari, and tell her our stories, at that moment she made the decision to become an organ donor. Kari and I helped Jane make that decision.
Go tell someone…
