Adrienne- Donor Family Member
 On May 29th, 2017 my nephew was involved in a horrible accident. A camper trailer came loose from the truck pulling it and struck the vehicle that my 2 nephews were in. It killed their papaw instantly and my youngest nephew (6 months old) was pronounced brain dead 3 days later.
He was able to go on and save 2 other babies and an adult by donating his heart, liver and kidneys plus his pancreas went to research. Everyone involved with KODA was so pleasant and courteous, it has inspired me to want to do more with my life by being involved in any way I can. I feel like I can connect with my community about this mission, having seen both sides of donation. I worked at UK Hospital and i saw recipients come in for their workup after they received “the call”. I experienced the donor side of it…the emotional impact of the tragedy, waiting to see what organs were viable, waiting for the surgery time, making the final trip with the KODA team to the OR for recovery, sitting in the waiting room until the surgery was over, and holding my nephew for the last time. I would like to see everyone join the donor registry because death could touch any of us at any time, and while it’s not something we can control, if we can save at least one person when we’re gone, then we need to. You never know how donation could touch your family later down the road. I would be honored to be a part of such a precious mission. |
