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Thursday, April 12, 2012

the gift of life

The day after Noah died, we received a call from Life Source, the organ and tissue donation center. They asked us if we would like Noah to be a donor. At the time I remember just trying talk was a daunting task. They said they needed to know right away. "Yes, of course" was all I could really remember saying. The thought of them taking parts of him was sickening to me. Yet I knew if he could help someone else, that would be an amazing gift to give. It's quite a process once you decide your child should be a donor. They made me answer about an hour long worth of questions about Noah and myself (since I carried him). This was all the day after he died. It was unbearable. I cried the whole time. I understand it all has to happen right away, but trying to answer all those questions while you're in such a state of shock and while the world has just been ripped out from under your feet is an extremely difficult task. 


Fast forward to about a week ago when Life Source called me again. They said they had about 10 questions that did not get recorded during that first session. Are you kidding me? I have to do this again? They asked me all these questions about the week before Noah died. I barely remember the week before he died. It was a year and a half ago! The pain came flooding back. 


But yesterday I received a letter in the mail from Life Source stating that Noah's heart valves have been used for a little girl in Massachusetts that is less than a month old. The heart valve transplant saved her life. To know that a part of Noah is living on in another little girl is an amazing feeling. It makes me very proud as a mother to know your child helped save another child's life. I wish so badly I could find out who this little girl is. Obviously it's confidential information. Otherwise you better believe I would be on the next flight to MA knocking on their door. I would love to meet her. To see the girl who has my son's heart valves. Let's face it, I'd probably stalk them. To know their daughter has a part of Noah inside of her. I would probably move next door just to feel closer to Noah. Noah gave this girl the gift of life. And has made such a difference in the life of her family. Because of him, they do not have to feel the pain we feel everyday. And for that I am grateful. 

7 comments:

  1. Noah is a hero! We didn't have to make these decisions for Ellie, but I can't imagine how hard it must have been to go through all of those questions and deal with that on top of everything else. But you guys and Noah saved a little girl's life- that's amazing!

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  2. amazing! i can't imagine having to deal with those questions, but it gave me chills to think of how Noah is helping someone else. sending you lots of love and thinking of Noah always.

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  3. You and your husband made such a generous decision at such a hard time. I think that you both along with Noah saved a little girl's life.

    Noah must be very proud.

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  4. You are amazing Jenna & this is a beautiful story - so glad you shared it!

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  5. Jenna and Scott,...I just read about your decision to donate Noah's organs..God Bless you both 10 fold...
    I cannot imagine in the debts of hell/pain having to go through that process... too.
    I have passed the information along to a lady at work who lost her nephew to SIDS for Noah's benefit...this year..
    Love,to Lil Oliver..too.
    Diane Hoyos-Gomez

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  6. Gift of life is a health "health is wealth" very famous saying by someone.
    send gifts to pakistan

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  7. I noticed we have mutual blm friends on fb, so I clicked over to see if I knew your blog and I didn't. We did the same thing with our son after he died- he was a liver donor and just a couple of months ago we received a letter from the recipient's family... Bitter-sweet for sure... I laughed at the idea of stalking them... I felt the same way. :)

    Hope Oliver is bringing you so much joy these days.

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