I was given an unusual assignment last week. April is National Donate Life Month, so as an emphasis on that theme I was to meet the mother of an organ donor and interview her.

She met me outside her home with a broad smile and hearty handshake. I was relieved that she was excited about the interview and even more excited in promoting organ donor registry.

Her daughter had been a healthy child and just entering adulthood with hopes for a bright future. An undetected aneurysm took her life in a short twenty four hour span and would change her family’s world for the remainder of their lives.

None of the family members were familiar with the organ donor program, but members from the agency were with the family in the ER when the daughter was pronounced dead. With gentleness and awareness of the surreal complexities of the moment, a staffer from the donor agency asked the mother if she would allow her daughter to be an organ donor. She agreed.

It was a decision the mother’s never regretted. Four people were blessed with life and sight when they were given the young lady’s kidneys and corneas. For the mother, her daughter’s life would continue to live and make a positive impact.

That mother is now an outspoken advocate for organ donation. To sign up on the organ registry is as simple as pulling the agency up on your computer or signing up when you obtain or renew your driver’s license.

Becoming a donor shouldn’t be a difficult decision. No one will ever need any organ after death, but just imagine being a recipient of an organ that could save or improve your life or the life of a family member.

As Christians, we can easily relate to the joy of being an organ recipient. Jesus gave me a new heart when I was 12 years old. It extended my lifetime to an eternal measurement complete with joys that will never end.

Letters to Camille Anding can be sent to P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS, 39602, or e-mailed to camille@datalane.net.