As long as I have been able to make an informed decision I have always listed myself as an organ donor. For me, organ donation is and has always been the obligatory box I quickly checked “yes” to.

To me, if for some unforeseen reason, I passed away suddenly and had salvageable organs that doctors could use I wanted them to go to people who could use them. Organ donation is a decision that is more complicated for some people than others, I’ve learned. That is perfectly, perfectly fine. For me, though, it has always been an absolute.

Fast forward to today and my mother is in need of a kidney! I never thought I’d ever say those words. Her doctors and medical team have talked to me extensively and said she is eligible to receive a kidney transplant and that even people ten years her senior receive kidneys. She can get hers as soon as the end of the year because of her rare blood type.

As her family, we are raising funds for her. If you would like to give, please donate to her new kidney journey please visit her GoFundMe page. We’d be so grateful. Before the doctors even move forward she needs a nest egg during the months where she will need a full-time caregiver. Everything else is paid for through her insurance.

Organ donation is so important for many people! It is always a matter of life and death like for a woman, Maggie, who received a heart transplant after having a cardiac arrest during a run on a hot Indiana morning. Maggie is in good health now. Her friends and family rallied to create organ donor awareness in Indiana called seetheheart.org. You can learn more about being an organ donor, Maggie’s story, as well as share the information with your friends and family if you are or aren’t a Hoosier.

Whether helping my mom on her new kidney journey, checking your license to see if you are an organ donor, registering to become a living or deceased donor, or sharing your own story I hope you will think about organ donations and transplants today. It really hit home for me when it my mom needed one.