Why I do what I do

I'm sure people wonder sometimes why I push so hard in my advocacy for organ donation. Some days it may appear I push too hard when I run three and sometimes four articles on this blog telling why organ donation is important. It may seem strange when I share my new achievements and experiences which seem mundane or unimportant in the grand scheme of things. However, as I often tell my wife when she wonders why I do this or that, "there's a method to my madness." I do all these things to show how organ donation saved my life and gave me a second chance to live. Unfortunately, everyone who needs a second chance doesn't get it and today's post tells the story of one such little girl.

Over the last few days, News Channel 5 in Nashville has been reporting the story of Korley Davis. Korley was a brave 11-year girl who was loved dearly by her parents, family, friends, classmates, and community. Even though she had more than her fair share of illness, she never complained and always had a smile on her face. Korley battled leukemia at just three months of age but survived it. However, the care she received for the leukemia may have led to the pulmonary fibrosis she suffered from which is a scarring and thickening of the lung tissue. The disease took her life yesterday as she waited on her second chance in the form of a double-lung transplant. At the time, the medical staff at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt were trying to nurse Korley back to health to get her strong enough to be transferred to a children's hospital in Pittsburgh for a lung transplant. Unfortunately, Korley ran out of time before that happened. She would have turned twelve tomorrow.

As I sat and listened to the news of Korley's death last night, I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat and think that but for the grace of God go I. Every day in the U.S., 19 Americans die waiting on a life-saving transplant. Regretably, this brave 11-year old was one of them yesterday. I could have easily joined that number four years ago. However, I didn't because a brave, giving man I had never met made the decision to be an organ donor. There could have been someone to stand in the gap for Korley, too, but there wasn't. Why ? It's because not enough Americans have chosen to be organ donors. It's so easy to do, and we're all gonna die one day. All you have to do is visit a website or sign your drivers license. In doing so, you may help someone in need when your time is up. It's why I do what I do. I want to do everything I can so that all the others out there like Korley get their second chance. It's so they can grow up, graduate, get their first job, get married, have kids, and even grand kids.

You can help make it happen. You can help put an end to the fact that 19 Americans die every day waiting on a life-saving transplant. You can help prevent more families from losing eleven-year old children. All you have to do is visit the Donate Life America website by clicking here to find out how to become an organ and tissue donor in your state and then sign up. Please do it today. You don't know when your time is up. However, we do know that there's over 110,000 more Korley's out there on the waiting list that you can help when the time comes. They're why I do what I do.