My son Andy passed very quickly from his car accident, and, fortunately, he did not have to suffer from any pain. While his organs could not be saved, we were able to participate in the tissue donation program.
The tissue donation program includes the corneas, bone tissue, skin, heart valves, veins and the aorta.
Andy’s physical body was deceased yet much of his body was able to be used to help others in need. Andy’s corneas were donated to two people who had lost their eyesight, and, with these gifts, their vision was restored. One of Andy’s veins helped a gentleman who had been needing dialysis and another vein for a man who underwent peripheral bypass surgery; over 30 of his bones will be used to help with trauma and bone disease; his skin will be used for the treatment of burns, cleft palate repair and reconstructive surgery after cancer.
I feel very blessed that we were able to help living people that needed these tissues. Andy is living on in these people and helping them to enjoy more productive lives.
I encourage everyone reading this to please think about how wonderful our tissue and organ donation programs are. People die every day as they wait for replacement organs. It is preventable and we can make a difference.
Andy’s Attic originated from a similar group in Cape Cod named Katelynn’s Closet. Katelynn was a 9 year old girl who passed away while waiting for a heart transplant. This is such a sad story with a tragic ending. I wish a heart could have been found for her.
I am sure that many people just don’t understand how many lives are saved through the national donor programs. The statistics are remarkable. If you would like more information, please refer to one of the many sites available to you www.donatelife.net. You could save a life.
Do it in Andy’s honor as well as Katelynns.
My sincere thanks to all of you for reading this note.
Lisa Reese