organ donation recipients

I don't know whether or not I've mentioned it, but S's organs were donated.  I told them to use everything they could, but they were only able to use his liver and his kidneys.  I wrote letters to the 3 people who received his organs, but I haven't heard anything back yet.  I am still hopeful that they will write.   I am sure it is hard for them to know that someone died in order for them to live and I know they have their own sort of grieving to do.  I will be patient.

I really want to meet them one day though.  It would mean so much to me to see them and know that a part of S is living on in them.

That is why I feel so blessed to have met 2 organ donation recipients this week.  It wasn't planned, by me anyway, but the more time that passes the more I think there is some sort of Divine plan in the works here.

Wednesday afternoon I got really sick.  Really, really sick and I had to call my mom to come over and take care of the kids.  I think I ate something bad, and I just couldn't take care of them.  She was fabulous and came over and played with them and fed them and put them to bed for me.  She just brought me G when she needed to nurse.  Anyway, Thursday I was supposed to work at a health fair for Weight Watchers, but I didn't think I would be able to since I was so sick.

Thursday morning, I woke up and was still iffy about whether or not I could do it.  I finally decided I wasn't feeling 100%, but I could do it, so I did.  I ran into a friend there, who mentioned that she had walked the fair earlier and saw that LifeShare was there.  So, before I left, I went over to the LifeShare booth, expecting to see the people who work in the office, but there were 2 organ recipients.  One woman, who had a double lung transplant 4 years ago, was about my age and the other woman, who received a pancreas and kidney 11 years ago was a bit older.  It was so neat to talk to them!  The pancreas and kidney recipient said that her donor was a 13 year old boy and she and his family are close now.  The double lung recipient said that she wrote to her donor's family, a "middle age woman", but hasn't heard anything yet.  She said she likes to "adopt" other donor families as hers though.

Seeing what they have done since their transplants and hearing about their journeys was amazing!  I hope that the people who have S's organs are doing well too.  Obviously, I would rather have S here then pretty much anything else, but since that isn't an option, I am so thankful that he was able to give the gift of life to 3 other people.  Even in his death, he is doing good!  What an amazing man!