Mary Anita- Donor

Mary Anita was a genuinely caring and giving person and described as a “good soul” by her daughter, Sandra. Her daughter, Anna, explains that she “always had a kind word for anyone in distress or need.” She built her whole life around saving and healing lives with her nursing career. “It only made sense that she was an eye and tissue donor- she was always willing to help others” states her daughter, Anita.

Mary Anita was a daughter, sister, wife, mother of three girls, grandmother of six (whom she adored greatly), a retired registered nurse, a painter, and a bird lover.  Her youngest daughter, Sandra, did not share in her mother’s affection for birds but promised to care for them after she was gone.  One fateful afternoon, Sandra was looking out at them with great disdain, thinking to herself, “these nasty things…I don’t want to go out there and feed them” when suddenly, she was sprayed in the mouth with an automatic air freshener that was sitting on the counter.  She knew then, that her momma was watching over her and telling her to go feed her birds! (And probably getting a good laugh since her middle daughter, Anna, explains that she “had an incredible sense of humor and laughed easily.”)

“You always think you have all the time in the world to tell your loved ones what they mean to you, or that you will be able to see them in a few days” explains her oldest daughter, Anita. “Unfortunately, momma’s heart attack was very sudden and very unexpected, and it really gave us perspective on how short life is.  Her death has brought our family even closer and we hope that her corneas are helping someone see the beauty of the world, just like momma used to see when she would paint.”

Organ donation means a lot to the Whitworth family, as Mary Anita’s sister-in-law was a liver recipient and her daughter, Anita, is a deputy circuit court clerk in Breckinridge County, she asks daily about becoming an organ and tissue donor.

If you would like to register your decision to save lives, please visit Registerme.org or DonateLifeKY.org to secure your legacy of hope!