We, in the transplant community, want to make more people aware of organ donation and the different types of ways that you can be an organ donor. Please read the following message that a lot of friends on transplantbuddies.org and I (Patti) put together......

If a stranger was hurt in an auto accident, was choking in a local restaurant, drowning, etc., would you try to save them? How about if it was a family member who needed a live donor? If you could give back a life, would you? If you answered "Yes" then let me tell you that there is a way that you can really give someone their life back. ARE YOU AN ORGAN DONOR? If you already are, then we who are in great need, thank you from our hearts. There is no gift that could be more precious than replacing certain death with life! It may even be one of my friends' lives that you save!

You may or may not know me, but my name is Patti Prince and I had the life saving three organ transplant that I needed on January 31, 2007. Due to Cystic Fibrosis, my lungs and liver were deteriorating, and fast. I was told in 2004 that I needed a double lung and liver transplant and started the evaluations in 2005. I found out that I was pregnant in July 2005, which held off the evaluations and being listed for the transplants. After my son was born, I was listed on the lung and liver transplant lists in August 2006. By the end of that year, I was so sick that we weren't sure what was going to happen. Was I even going to see my son's first birthday?? I did celebrate his birthday in the beginning of January 2007 and then ended up right back in the hospital with a lung function of only 15 percent and my liver function was also declining. On January 30, we got the news that we had a perfect match and I was going to receive the transplants. Due to someone making the decision to be an organ donor, MY LIFE WAS SAVED! I think of my donor every day even though I have no idea who it was. I can continue to be a grand daughter, daughter, sister, aunt, wife, daughter-in-law, and best of all....a Mommy to my now 2-year-old son.

I am not alone. As of May 1, 2008, there are 99,134 people in need of an organ transplant. Each day, about 77 people receive organ transplants. However, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs. Did you know that there are a variety of people who need transplants? There are people waiting from new-born infants to some of the elderly. No matter your age, there is probably without a doubt someone who needs your organs if you pass, sometimes even if you're alive!

If you would like to know more about people like me, please take a few (precious) minutes and visit us at http://transplantbuddies.org You will find an amazing group of people who share their experience, offer help, hope and most importantly, lots of love. If you're not an organ donor, this should inspire you to become one. Here are a couple of statements from friends of mine on the site.....

"My name is Holly. I was placed on the National Transplant List for a new heart on Oct 20,2006. I would have to say that everyday of these past 18 months has been a struggle for me. As my health continually deteriorates there are many days I'm afraid I will not survive to have the chance for transplantation. I pray more people will understand the urgency and need for Organ Donation and that it is the most AMAZING gift anyone can give. It gives the gift of life...maybe even to me."

"I am Karen, all of my life I dreamed of being a mother. 2 years after being blessed with a beautiful son, I was diagnosed with a rare lung disease called Bronchiolitis Obliterans. We were devastated and my dreams were crushed. Our son had to go to daycare as I struggled through each day just to do normal things like get out of bed, get dressed, or take a shower. As my lung function declined, my only option was lung transplantation. I have now been waiting 3 months for the wonderful gift of new lungs. My son is now 4 yrs. old. He has only known a sick mommy. The gift of new lungs will give my son his mother back. Organ donation doesn't just save lives, it saves families. Please remember that children need organs too. Donating children's organs can help both children and small adults."

Now, I have personally met Karen. She and I go to the same transplant clinic. She is a strong woman with a very big heart and I want her to feel the same way that I feel now. She is desperately awaiting her new lungs so that she can enjoy life with her son. She is one of the adults that will most likely receive a child's organs if the parent is willing enough to donate if something happens to their child.

Can you make that commitment to save the lives of people like Holly, Karen, and the others in the world in need of organs? Of course you can...become an organ donor today!!

Feel free to copy this message and send it to your friends and family so that we can get the message out!

Sincerely,
Patti (double lung and liver transplant survivor)
This message is approved by Risa:
Founder of http://transplantbuddies.org
Double lung transplant survivor