Kindness

Even though I was not able to complete a kidney-pancreas transplant earlier this month, some good things have come from the experience. For example, I have had many opportunities to bring up the importance of organ donation with several individuals, including friends, family, co-workers, and even readers of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Fellow kidney-pancreas recipients and expected recipients from around the country have reached out to me using Facebook. (It's unique how quickly the internet can bring people together under similar circumstance, isn't it?) I've spoken with two people from Utah who had the surgery more than 12 years ago and tell me how different and amazing they feel! One woman from Texas has just started her journey toward a kidney-pancreas transplant and she's reading everything she can about the subject.

It's overwhelming to discover that so many people support organ donation and would do anything they can to help a person in need. In fact, one of my good friends named Brian has taken it to a new level.

While he is alive, Brian donates whole blood, platelets, and even bone marrow in his spare time. He doesn't get paid to do this and sometimes the process knocks him out for several days, but Brian tells me it is worth knowing that a child who has been severely burned can live a better life without pain.

Brian is a good guy. He is like almost everybody I can think of in the compassion he shows for fellow human beings. And kindness is contagious! I am reminded of a quote:

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.  ~Mark Twain

More importantly, kindness is universal.

To find out more about bone marrow donation, visit http://marrow.org/