In Celebration of Tricia's new lungs...

...April is National Donate Life Month!

Those of you who know me know that I work in the operating room of a Level 1 trauma center. What many of you may not know is that I am often working with the Transplant Team in both transplanting and retrieving organs/tissues. I am even more of a proponent of organ donation than I was before I even knew what goes on "behind the scenes". I've been apart of many traumas--each and every time all resources and energy are used to save precious lives, and we are--by the grace of God--usually successful. Sometimes the patients return to us after their earthly fight has been lost, thus granting life to many still fighting. I am always in awe of the experience and full of emotion and prayer for all involved. Most importantly, I am in constant awe of our Creator and the magnificent work He did when designing the body and all of its beautiful intricacies. Talk about humbling and amazing at the same time!

This was written in our Employee Newsletter and I thought it was more than appropriate to share in light of Tricia's journey. I am proud to be an organ/tissue donor and encourage everyone to consider it...after all, we can't take it with us when we go!

National Donate Life Month has a twofold purpose: emphasize the importance of organ donation and encourage everyone to become a donor. The goal is to ease the extreme shortage of organs available for surgical transplants in the United States. More people need transplants than there are organs available, and the statistics are eye-opening. Every 13 minutes, a new name is added to the nation’s organ transplant waiting list. That adds up to about 110 new people every day. On average, 16 people die every day while waiting for an organ to become available. Did you know that just one donor can give more than 50 people a second chance in life?

“Organ donation is vital to the success of our transplant program and helps save the lives of patients who might otherwise spend years on a waiting list,” says Chintalapati Varma, MD, Geisinger Director of Transplant Services. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our employees to register to become organ donors and give the gift of life.”

Almost anyone 18 years or older can donate organs, regardless of health. If you would like to be a donor and help save another person’s life, check out the following web site for details, fast facts, FAQ’s and steps to become a donor: http://www.donors1.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=132.