We all make choices in life that define who we are.
We choose between something as simple as whether to eat Lucky Charms or Cheerios for breakfast, to more complicated choices such as what type of vehicle to buy. Each choice we make has some impact on our lives; be it large or small. In many instances, our choices also have an effect on the people around us and can even affect people we do not know.
One choice that I made this summer sparked my interest about human connections and what some people are willing to do to benefit others. Some people travel to foreign countries and build homes in underprivileged nations. Others make financial contributions to feed the hungry. I made a choice that was even easier than those. I became an organ donor.
It was a decision that I had thought about for some time, but one that I felt was right thing to do. I thought about the improvements in technology in just the last 100 years and how doctors can perform an eye transplant and give a person the gift of sight. If I were in a position where I needed an organ transplant, I would want someone to have been an organ donor to save my life.
I am not suggesting that every single person should be an organ donor. However, I believe it something that everyone should at least consider and give serious thought to. I would not want to be the person who has to tell the mother of an 8-year-old girl that she could have had a liver transplant, but that nobody was willing to donate one.
According to Donate Life America, 18 people die each day due to the lack of available organs for transplant and more than 100,000 people are in need of life-saving transplants.
It is not every person’s job to be a hero and to save lives, but looking out for the safety and survival of our fellow human beings should at least be on the list somewhere.
Not everyone is in a position to make the decision about whether or not they want to live. For some, the choice is not theirs, but yours. Saving someone’s life is a choice that we can all make. n