Malia

What KODA means to me is when there is still life after death. There is light in such a dark time in your life. When you are giving or receiving. I want everyone to know that this isn’t a greedy group of people looking to take things from your loved ones. This is giving life when another one is ending. I’ve never been on the receiving end but I couldn’t imagine people wanting people to die so they can save the life of their loved one. They just want their loved ones to survive when a transplant is all they need.

In 2022 at 41 years old my mother has a massive brain bleed. After a long fight, she lost her battle and was pronounced brain dead. You never know what to do in the situation until you’re in it. And I thought what better way to celebrate life of someone you lost than giving the gift of life.

A year and a half later, we have heard from the recipients and knowing that they survived and knowing that a piece of my momma are still walking the earth is what gets me out of bed each day. Organ donation isn’t for everyone, but it’s about the only thing that got me through grief. 1 year and a half later I am now a registered nurse at the NeuroICU at the same hospital, working the same unit that my mother spent her last minutes. Hoping to make a difference and help others get through what I got through. KODA changed my life. And I wasn’t even the one who gave or received.