Stories of hope

My wife, Phyllis, and I have had many days where organ & tissue donation has been the topic of our conversations. Some of those days have been good days, and some have been very difficult days.

One of our three sons, Michael, developed kidney disease while in college. Michael was suddenly forced to face a life of dialysis or hopefully a transplant. As a family, we spent a great deal of time discussing transplantation and its benefits. Michael’s twin brother, Matthew, was willing and able to donate one of his kidney’s to help save his brothers life. That was 9 years ago, and Michael and Matthew are both still doing well today.

Mark, our oldest son, was a physician completing his internship at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and had participated in many of our family discussions. Little did we know how much those conversations would help us when tragedy struck our family. Mark was killed in a car accident and was able to give others renewed hope through tissue donation. While Mark’s death was, and continues to be, difficult, it has helped our family to know that part of him has helped others to enjoy life.

As a tribute to all three of our son’s and their ties to the various aspects of the donation process, we encourage everyone to consider the difference you can make through organ and tissue donation.