By Elizabeth Clark, IACCP®

With the eye of the world focusing on the economic, political and social aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the health industry has been shocking in so many ways. We’ve all seen the reports about the lack of ventilators in New York, shortages of masks and gloves and calls of action to help support all healthcare workers. The situation in which we find ourselves is both alarming and reassuring that we are truly all in this together.

While the U.S. practiced social distancing and adapted to remote work environments over the past few months, our healthcare workers were on the front lines during this pandemic. And while continuing to offer their support, health related charities and organizations were forced to suspend capital campaign programs and fundraising activities. One such organization, Donate Life America (Donate Life℠), was forced to convert their annual awareness campaign to an online-only effort.

The impact of this global pandemic is profound and covers every industry, every work environment, every friendship and every family member. In my family, we celebrated our moms remotely over Mother’s Day weekend with calls and video conferences. In the upcoming month, my family will also be celebrating Father’s Day and the birthday of my dad. The entire family wishes we could travel to Georgia and celebrate his life in person, but that just isn’t a possibility with the pandemic.

This year, you see, is a very special reason to celebrate the birth and paternal impact of this special person in my life. On Christmas Eve 2019, he received the most wonderful gift of all. He answered a call that we’d all been waiting a year to receive. Thanks to a young man who registered as an organ donor, my dad was told there was a liver available that could save his life. The gratitude and anticipation could only be described as a true Christmas miracle.

This journey started in October 2018 when he developed a very different and much more severe illness than any he had previously experienced. After two months, his health care team was able to confirm the diagnosis of bile duct cancer. With minimal treatment options available due to the location of the cancer, his team informed us that the best chances lay in receiving a deceased-donor liver. The next 12 months presented some challenging times, scary infections and a few moments of hope.

Then came that call on Christmas Eve. As it turned out, the liver was viable and all signs pointed to compatibility. Starting at six in the morning on Christmas Day, and lasting for 12 hours, his surgery and transplantation was completed and the road to recovery had begun. My family will forever be thankful to the young man whose unexpected death saved the life of our family’s cornerstone, and the lives of several other organ and tissue recipients.

I share our story with you because none of this would have been possible without the hard work, years of study and research, dedication and commitment of our healthcare professionals and supporting organizations such as Donate Life℠. Nor would it have happened in this case without the simple act of registering as a donor and the permission from the young man’s family.

According to the Donate Life℠ website, here are a few important facts regarding donation:

• A person is added to the donor waiting list every 10 minutes.

• Twenty-two people die each day because the organ they need is not donated in time.

• One organ, eye and tissue donor can help save or improve more than 75 lives.

• Approximately 113,000 men, women and children are currently waiting for organ transplants, and 82% of those patients are in need of a kidney.

• Donors are needed from every community as both donors and recipients come from all categories of ethnicity, age, religion, gender and socioeconomic status.

• Organ donation is seen as a final act of compassion and generosity by many major world religions. It is often the final act of giving life.

• There is no cost to the family of a donor, nor will the donation process cause a significant delay in making funeral arrangements or limit the option of an open casket.

Did you know that your driver’s license election to be a donor only applies to the deceased donation option? If you want to be considered for a living donation, you must register with Donate Life America or on your state’s donor specific website.

Whether you decide to be a donor or not, it is important that you communicate your wishes with your family. I encourage you to discuss your decision with your relatives as you would your estate and funeral arrangements. Using online estate planning tools like Everplans allows for simple and secure communication of information, such as your organ donation election, and many other important details pertaining to your personal information and selected arrangements. Be sure to contact our advisor team if you want to learn more. And if you choose to be a donor, please make the election on your Driver’s License or register with Donate Life America as a donor today.

With the recent Mother’s Day holiday, I want to also celebrate that my stepmother was able to live another 23 years after receiving a heart donation in 1989. It truly is amazing how far medicine has improved in these last thirty years.

Next month, my family and I will be honoring dad’s birthday and Father’s Day remotely. We have so much to be thankful for and will be celebrating his life, love and health as he remains cancer free and continues his post-transplant care journey.

Special thanks to the transplant teams in America and to those at the Emory University Hospital system in Atlanta, Ga. Also, special thanks to every frontline healthcare worker helping to keep everyone safe during this pandemic.

Click here to learn more about the impact of being a registered donor.