Gift of Life

There’s life … and there’s death. We will all have both. Some of us sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, I was reminded how priceless the gift of life is. I went to a Walk to Remember several local organ and tissue donor organizations sponsor as a memorial for lost loved ones and to promote awareness about the importance of being a donor.

Don’t take your organs to Heaven — Heaven knows we need them here!

The walk started in a beautiful memorial garden at Reading Public Museum. I went in memory of my sister Rosene. She became a tissue donor after her death on October 22, 2008. Rosene died from complications after a necessary surgery to repair her weakening body from the effects of Cerebral Palsy.

Rosene Hoover 1969 – 2008

The short ceremony opened with music and continued with a few speakers. About sixty of us, strangers connected by joy and by loss, gathered in the garden. A fit, active, spry man in his 50′s talked about receiving a kidney twenty years ago — today he runs and bikes regularly. A woman in her 20′s shared an emotional poem encouraging everyone to become a donor — she lost her mother seven years ago and if an organ would have been found in time, her mother might still be here.

A dozen memorial quilts made from patches that family members send in honor of loved ones were displayed along the walking path.

The patch my mom made in memory of Rosene is being sewn into their next quilt, so will be available for viewing at future events. See a picture of it online here.

It was a beautiful day and as we did the mile walk, I absorbed the blue sky, the sparkling water, the trees, the leaves … grateful I still have the gift of life. Though life isn’t perfect, it is beautiful!

While there is life, there is hope. -Cicero

Take a deep breath. In and out. Again. That is a gift.

Appreciate. Enjoy. Savor. Care. Love. Give.

What will you do with the gift you have?

Information about becoming a donor here.

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