My chapter-by-chapter commentary on Signature in the Cell will resume shortly. But I can't resist writing a little about someone I know who did something extraordinary. Here's the short version.
This friend of mine, we'll call her "Susan," became inspired several months ago while reading accounts of people resisting Nazi occupation during World War II, and especially those who risked their lives (and often lost their lives) working to assist Jews and others targeted by the occupiers. She wondered how/if she would/could do such things. Subsequently, she read a story in our local paper about a grieving father who, in his son's name and honor, had donated a kidney to someone he didn't know, as part of a kidney donation chain. Susan thought, "I can do that." (She's married and has four kids ranging in age from 17 to 9.)
She contacted the local transplant program and found out that such altruistic donations had not occurred in Grand Rapids and that the center didn't have procedures for such an arrangement. But when the program realized Susan was serious, they put the procedures together and began the testing to determine Susan's suitability as a donor. It all culminated in the first altruistic kidney donation in West Michigan on Monday, 11 January. Both Susan and the recipient are doing really well.
Susan is my hero. Somehow, I'm lucky enough to be married to her. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary a little more than two weeks ago.
Please look into the kidney donation thing. Think of it as an anniversary gift.
9 comments:
Let me take this opportunity to posit that if we had a legal market in organs, there would be more kidney donors in West Michigan.
You're wife's really something, as demonstrated by her willingness to do for free what most of us would demand a hefty fee for.
The contrasts are very stark.
On the one hand a selfless and risky demonstration of love and humanity to extend life.
And on the other hand, regarding Meyer, a self-serving and shameful attempt to poison the education of our young.
Steve,
Well it is clear that she is an altruist. After all, she took one for the team by marrying a U of A graduate :)
More seriously - major props to her for this.
God bless your wife!
John... ha ha... but... yeah... she's a UA alum and a Tucson native. So she's the reason I'm such a mutant.
Admission time: This post brought tears to my eyes. Please give your wife a big hug for me. God BLESS her.
Actions will always speak louder than words... Talk is cheap... (depending on who you are(!)) I have always considered myself as someone who is 'selfless' or 'altruistic'; however, I realize now that our lives will ultimately be graded on the sacrifices that we make for others, and (ultimately) those lives we affect. We have so much more to live up to than we know. God bless Susan... Angie could never have had a better godmother.
Steve, I notice that RTB have a long discussion on their recent podcast on your favourite topic, 'junk DNA' - http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/podcasts.reasons.org/idkt/idkt76-012110-FRDRKS.mp3
I don't understand a word of this.
Frederick Ather Matheson
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