Leslie Giodone’s son was just 16 years old when he died. "I remember him being on life support and saying, I'm sorry son, I don't know if this is what you want," says Giodone.
Ultimately, Giodone decided to donate her son’s organs. "He was young, he was healthy, I figured his organs would be viable and provide life for others," says Giodone. And they were. His organs saved the life of six other people.
The decision to donate his organs was a difficult one, but Giodone was happy she made it after finding his drivers permit a few weeks later. It indicated he was indeed an organ donor. "It was a way for him to go on living, through other people, providing life for other people," says Giodone.
Ted Apodaca was not one of those people, but his life was saved by the organ donor process none the less. "I believed in it, but I never thought I'd be the recipient of one," says Apodaca.
Ted was 42 years old when he found out his kidneys were failing. He was on dialysis for a year, before a suitable match could be found. "I was very scared. For the first time in my life I had never been so scared," says Apodaca.
The kidney that saved Ted’s life was donated by another kind soul who agreed to allow their organs to be recovered in the event of their death. "It gave me my life back. I mean if you could imagine sitting on a chair for four hours a day three times a week... that's no lifestyle. I thank God that there are people out there that do donate, because I wouldn't be here today," explained Apodaca.
For more information about donating bone marrow, organs and tissue or to register to be a donor click on the links below.
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