Organ Donation

Something I pray we will never have to think about in our journey with CF is always organ donation.  But at the same time it is so important for everyone, and especially for CF patients.

I have been following off and on the story of a young woman with CF who just received a lung transplant called Kelly's Transplant Adventure.  She passed away on the 1st from a stroke.  Her family wrote a beautiful post today on passing on the gift of life one has received.  Kelly has known the beauty and joy of being an organ donation recipient and in her birth to eternal life, a donor herself.  Please read the excerpt from her blog below and remember to make your wishes of organ donation known to your loved ones...

 A moment of reflection and silence in honor of Kelly Langs as she prepares herself to donate her organs to others.
What is about to take place, the gift of life, is something that Kelly has always held very dear to her heart, and is something she wanted you to hear.
The following are Kelly’s sentiments she wrote on her blog on Dec 2, 2012, prior to her receiving her own gift of organ donation by someone else on Dec 6, 2012.

True Beauty in Organ Donation:
Organs are precious and they have the ability to keep giving. … It’s the cycle of life, and we as humans have an amazing choice to make in that hour of our end – to give the gift of life to someone next to you who needs it.
It’s not like any other gift you’ll ever have the chance to give again. It’s a onetime thing, and the most precious gift of all, one that you could very well be asking for one day yourself! We’re all human, we all function on organs and we’re all part of this cycle of life – together.
I’m on the transplant list, waiting for lungs. I’m also a registered organ donor in case there’s anything of quality and strength that can be passed on. I know my eyes are awesome, 20/20 vision! So someone will be able to see for the first time when I leave this body. That truly makes me happy and makes me feel like I’ve chosen the ultimate human gift!

You can give the gift of life too.
In honor of Kelly we have set up a way for you to become a registered organ donor.  If you feel you have learned from Kelly’s journey this is something you should consider.  To learn more about becoming an organ donor please click here: http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/KellyLangs
Multiple people this very second are preparing for their journey to receive the gift of Kelly’s organ donation.  They “got the call” a few hours ago and are told “we have a match for you”.   They are rushing to the hospital, calling their loved ones with immense anticipation and fear, and probably updating their blogs too.  Believe in yourself, Kelly would say to them, everything will be okay.   Appreciate every moment.
Kelly will be donating her organs tonight at 11pm PST.  Her liver and both her kidneys will be going to three very lucky people.
Please join us in a moment of silence at 11pm as Kelly’s words above will be read out loud in the operating room to honor Kelly’s gift and the remembrance of her life.
With love and appreciation,
Kelly and her Family
p.s. there will probably be many questions regarding the transplantation process and we (and hopefully others) will try to answer them. Please contact Donate Life  if your questions have not been answered.