Leaving something behind after you're gone

By JOHN HENDLER
News Editor

Last Wednesday was “Buddy Day” at the Secretary of State Offices throughout the state where families of those who were donors or have been an organ recipient were on hand to ask people coming into the office if they wanted to become an organ donor.
The event was part of April being “Donate Life Month” in Michigan and throughout the nation.
Frankly, I’d only thought about being an organ donor two years ago on Buddy Day when I was asking people what their thoughts were on organ donation outside the Secretary of State Office here in Marshall.
I had gone down to the Albion office to meet the “Buddy” and get a “quick” picture for this today’s paper.
And then I met Ralph Moody, who was waiting for me with a smile and a handshake when I walked into the office.
Ralph was wearing a Cleveland Clinic sweatshirt with his name on the front along with the date, 12-14-95, the day he received the heart that saved his life.
He asked what was stopping me from becoming a donor and honestly, I couldn’t come up with a good excuse.
I hemmed and hawed, saying things like I’d have to talk to my family or I didn’t like the idea of being cut open after I died.
Ralph made his case and his point quite succinctly- “When you’re gone, you won’t know about it.”
When I thought about that, I then thought about those who would know about it: the person or persons I could save and give life to by donating my organs.
I then thought about my family and prayed that we would never need to count on someone to die so they could live.
And then I thought about those thousands of people and their families that pray every day for an organ to save their loved ones.
After all those thoughts, which took not even 20 seconds, I made what had become an extraordinarily easy decision.
I decided to become an organ donor and put that heart sticker on my driver’s license.
Out of pure self-preservation, I hope that I live long enough until my organs have completely worn out.
But, if that should not be the case, and even if I don’t accomplish anything great or do another thing right, I know that when I go, I might just save someone’s life.
Until next week, may the good news be your.