Before my mother died, she received a bone marrow transplant that gave her a fighting chance to beat her cancer. My uncle gained an extra ten years of life after receiving a heart transplant. I’ve had friends receive kidneys and livers and one even a bone for his leg. Two years ago, my then nearly nine year old step-nephew received a double transplant of a kidney and liver; the challenge was that both organs had to come from the same donor.
The really sad part of organ donation is that often someone has to die for the transplant to take place. My sister-in-law was an emotional basket case bouncing between joy for her son having a chance to live and a combined sadness and guilt that a 17 year old boy had died in an accident and it was his organs that Clay would be receiving. A family was grieving while another was celebrating.
The good news is that the liver Clay received is still thriving and healthy; the bad news is that for the past year, the kidney has been failing. My sister-in-law drives an hour each way to the hospital on a daily basis for Clay to receive about six hours of dialysis. I just can’t fathom what a little trooper this boy is; it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about what he endures and makes me so thankful for the health of my children.
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