Please excuse this slight detour as I tell you about something that has become near and dear to me. For those who have visited my website, http://www.cynthiaeckhart.com/ , you know a little about the reason I wrote the book and how it has affected those that I love.
If you are old enough to remember the TV show A.L.F. you will recall that Alf was an alien - of the space kind! For those of us in Joey's extended family, we have learned it has a far different meaning. See, in our family it stands for the American Liver Foundation. Although it gets very little recognition via all the media genres out there, it plays a vital role in our society.
When Joey was barely two, she was struck with acute liver failure. Numerous tests could not determine the cause, and her only recourse became a liver transplant. Unfortunately, it never happened, and within two weeks of the showing of her first symptoms, Joey passed away. She had been number one on the liver transplant list nationwide, but the availability of viable livers is difficult under the best conditions and darn near impossible under emergency situations.
Friends of Joey and her parents organized a Joey Jog to honor her memory and help other liver patients. The Joey Jog and the American Liver Foundation not only aid in research to prevent and/or find a cure for liver failure, it also helps families that are waiting for their "turn" for a transplant. I may be a little prejudiced, but I think there needs to be more awareness of the need of organ donors in our mainstream society.
When I was undergoing treatment and surgery for my aneurysm, I thought a lot about death. How sudden it can be. You equate suddenness with maybe a car accident, but we forget about illnesses. I was almost 60, and I thought that I had least had opportunities to experience the world of the living. While I wasn't "ready" to die, I thought maybe it was my time. Joey didn't have that choice. Nor did she get to enjoy all the things other kids experience as they grow into adults. And, her parents, brothers, and sister didn't get to watch her grow and enjoy life. That, to me, is unfair, but it wasn't my choice. The only consolation that any of us have is the thought that God had a purpose for Joey's death, and that He would take care of her.
The more I think about it, I think that purpose was to spread awareness of the need of transplant research and organ donation. So, that is my purpose today. Visit the website http://www.joeyjog.org/. Read her story, and that of little Zack Mayo, another child in need of miracles. Contact your local American Liver Foundation office, and ask to volunteer. When you have to do that "voluntary" pledge for United Way, donate your money to a specific organization that helps those in need of transplants.
How does this all tie in to my lap-band surgery? Joey was the catalyst. Because of her a story was told about life and living, and the realization of what I needed to to to keep on living. Life is precious, and we should all take the steps needed to keep on living, and like Joey, to continue living after death.
Please become a volunteer and a donor. Most states allow you to list your desire to be a donor on your driver's license. If we all become donors, then think of the many lives that would be saved.
to learn more about Zack visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/wendymayo/mystory
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