[16045] in APO-L
Organ Donors - A special message (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tom Brown)
Fri Jan 17 12:19:40 1997
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 11:07:54 -0600
Reply-To: Tom Brown <tebrown@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu>
From: Tom Brown <tebrown@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
I thought this would be relevant to the list
In Leadership, Friendship & Service
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Thomas E. Brown Jr. tebrown@lonestar.jpl.utsa.edu +
+ +
+ Alpha Gamma Omega +
+ University of Texas at San Antonio +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > >
> > >
> > > Friday, January 10, 1997
> > >
> > > Dear EVALCOMMERS, I am taking the liberty of including a personal
> > > message from a woman who means a great deal to me. We dated in
> > > high school and probably played in 50 tennis tournaments toge-
> > > ther while growing up. We even founded a public tennis club in
> > > Portland, Oregon and ran it the first year. Since that time, I
> > > married someone else but my wife loves her as much as I do. If
> > > you run across this post on another listserv, my apologies:
> > >
> > > To my friedds -
> > >
> > > Over the last wo years, many of you have asked me what
> > > you can do to help me following my diagnosis of Primary
> > Biliary Cirrhosis - a liver diseas of unknown origin and
> > with no cure except a liver transplant, if you're lucky,
> > and death if you're not.
> >
> > The Talmud, a book of Jewish law and tradition, tells us
> > to "save a life and you will save the world." This
> > year instead of hoping for peace, I am hoping you will
> > join me in saving a life. And while it may not ulti-
> > mately be mine we save, it will be someone's best friend,
> > or someone's mother, or someone's child. And it is a life
> > we can save.
> >
> > How? By carrying an organ donor card in your wallet. Or
> > by having a "D" placed on your driver's license [for
> > organ donor]. But most importantly, by telling whoever
> > will make your health care decisions at the time of your
> > death that you want your wishes carried out to become
> > a donor. Because even if you carry a card, it's not
> > enough. Your family, your partner, your friend must
> > make that choice.
> >
> Why the urgency? Why now? I guess because I'm waking
> up, because I'm tied of belly aching about the Mickey
> Mantles and the people with money and power who somehow
> seem to get a liver while others wait and die, and
> because there's a line that should never exist.
>
> You see, there are only 7,279 people in the entire US
> waiting for a liver. But in 1995-96, 3,922 got a
> liver, 552 died waiting, and more will die, waiting.
> In Oregon aloone, 100 wait. And here's the kicker:
> 25,000 people a year die in Oregon. If only 1% of
> them, 250, were donors and their organs healthy at
> death, no one in Oregon waiting for a transplant.
> And if you do this every state, the Mickeys kcould
> theirs, but so could just plain Max and just plain
> Sarah and Alice and Al and on it would go until
> there's no line. ever again.
>
> Who are the best donors? For internal organs -
> the younger the better .... children, young adults,
> but also healthy adults kup to 70 years old. And
> for eyes - there's no age limit.
>
> What do I need you to do? Pass out organ donor
> cards - to yourself, your kids, your grandkids,
> your friends. Be sure they fill them out, carry
> them, and inform their families that they want
> their decisions respected and followed.
>
> My hope, out of these cards, in each case, 2 or 3
> people will have a grasp, business, or club that
> they give cards to, and from there more - and from
> there, from there we will all together - in our
> friendship - save a world.
>
> Will your effort save my life? Perhaps. But most
> certainly it will make my spirit soar and my soul
> dance. and for me, that is good enough.
>
> Let's do what organ committees in Washington DC
> aren't worrying about; let's do what power and
> influence never thought about; let's do what
> they say is impossible - let's save one another.
>
> We can do more than wish for a good New Year.
> We can make one happen.
>
> Thanks my friends,
>
> Love, Joannie Campf
>
> P.S.: whatever number of cards you need - a dozen,
> 100, or more, call me at [503] 292-2137 or
> fax me [503] 292-7703 and tell me the
> number and you'll have them immediately.
>
>
> Listserv members: I hope that you give this message as wide a
> circulation possible. This seems even more
> meaningful than posts re sending an ill
> person a birthday card. By the way, Joanie
> is far down on the priority list so probab-
> ly won't benefit until many others have.
>
> Thanks, Bill Ward
> ward@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
>
>
>
>
>
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