It's all over the news and maybe you've seen it by now, but I'm fascinated by this story and wanted to talk about it today. In December 2008 in a 22 hour opoperation, a team of doctors replaced Connie Culp's face with bone, muscle, nerves and skin donated from another woman who had just died. Often, I talk to people about organ donation and they get it that I have a new hear and that solid organs should be donated. But this story is a reminder that donated skin, bone and tissue greatly enhance the lives of others. Check out this wonderful improvement, made possible by one single donor!
Pictured here is Connie after a her injury which left her unable to eat, smell or breath on her own. And now, she's a new woman. She's "not a monster." In January, she was able to eat pizza, chicken and hamburgers for the first time in years. No information has been released about the donor or how she died, but her family members were moved when they saw before-and-after pictures of Culp.
I've learned from talking to donor families that when they see recipients in living color, they are WOW'ed at how active and alive those people are due to their gift. Can you imagine how WOW'ed this donor family is? They can actually visualize the transformation their gift provided. From my prospective, having received a new heart, I feel connected to Chloe because I can actually feel her heart and hear it beat. I always thought that if I did meet her family, they would want to put their hand on my chest and in some way, feel Chloe. That is one wonderful thing about getting a heart, compared to a kidney or liver which you can't really feel. For this donor family who made this face possible, I'm sure they know that life goes on. Connie now plans to get back into society and spend time with her grandsons. Her life was saved.
Many others will be saved due to all of the National Donate Life Month efforts this April. I'm also fascinated to learn how much work Scott and his team put in to get the message out about Organ Donation. Being in the marketing business, I can assure you that little sleep was had in order to pull all of this off. Way to go! Check it out over at I Am. Are You?
