LifeCenter Northwest

Hazel’s free spirit was nourished by her extended family who introduced her to music, applauded her dance parties, and spent endless hours playing at the park or in the sand at the beach. She loved “My Little Ponies” and the Disney movie “Moana.” As an early talker, Hazel wasn’t shy about sharing her feelings. She was a confident toddler who could read other people’s emotions, knowing when they needed to laugh or cuddle. Her silly and playful nature brought her family closer together. When Hazel died at the age of 3, her family made the heroic decision to donate her organs and save three other children. Her bright, bubbly spirit still lives on in her recipients and in the hearts and minds of her loving grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins who adored her. “This decision made me hold onto my faith, motivated me to do what I needed to do to honor Hazel,” said Ashlee Barnes, Hazel’s aunt. “She gave three other families a Christmas miracle.”

uncertain future until an act of kindness changes everything Jen Mohr, a kidney transplant recipient, wrote this haiku. Until recently, she had been on the organ transplant waiting list, hoping for another chance at life. Two months ago, she sat in a café with her husband, her friend Brandon and his wife, enjoying their company. Toward the end of their meal, Brandon slid a card across the table. Inside, she found a series of hand-drawn images: an eye, the letter “M,” the letter “A,” a match, the number 4, and the word “you” — “I’m a match for you.” It was an unexpected gift. This Friday, Jen will receive the gift of a healthy kidney. Her friend Brandon will be her living donor. Jen’s journey with chronic kidney disease began in seventh grade. For years, her condition remained stable, but in her late twenties, her health deteriorated, and she needed a transplant. Her mom stepped forward as her donor, giving Jen nearly 28 more years of health. At 58, Jen now finds herself in need of another kidney. Her brother, who had hoped to be her next donor, learned that his own kidney function wasn’t strong enough. Her husband and many more close friends also volunteered but were either not viable matches or were still in various stages of the testing process. A mutual friend told Brandon about Jen’s declining kidney. Quietly, without fanfare, he began the testing process to see if he could help. “Contemplating donation offers the opportunity to look inward and ask yourself life-changing questions,” Jen explains. Quoting poet Mary Oliver, she adds, “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Now, as Jen is only hours away from her second transplant, she reflects on the network of people who have supported her along the way. Her family and friends — all of them offering their love, even when they couldn’t offer a kidney. And Brandon — by donating his kidney, he also removed Jen from the transplant waiting list, opening a spot for someone else in need. It is more than a gift. It embodies love, friendship, and life itself. To honor Brandon’s generosity, Jen created a storybook titled “The Great Kidney Caper.” The story follows a playful cartoon kidney thrown by Brandon on a whimsical journey. The kidney bounces across the moon’s craters, relaxes in a sauna, visits Abbey Road, and finally lands in a wide-open field. There, wrapped neatly in a box with a ribbon, the kidney waits for Jen — the ultimate gift from a dear friend. It's the start of their new story. #donatelife

This special milestone for our friends at Seattle Children's is possible thanks to the life-saving generosity of organ donors and their families.

This powerful story highlights the benefits of technology when it comes to the life-saving gift of organ donation. But we also want to share how grateful we are to the donor families who trust us to honor their loved one's decision and walk beside them through the entire donation process. Here's an excerpt from donor mother Diana Davis, who remembers what she told her family when her daughter Danielle Eger, a 30-year-old mother of two, was dying in a hospital near Seattle in 2019 following a brain aneurysm. "'I had actually warned our family,' I said, ‘You know, the talk is coming. Let’s prepare our answer: We are not interested. No thank you,’” Davis says. "Davis hadn’t realized representatives from the local OPO, LifeCenter Northwest, were separate from the hospital. The OPO staff surprised Davis. Because Eger had signed up as a donor, her organs could’ve been recovered after she was declared brain dead with or without her family’s consent. Instead, LifeCenter staff cried with Davis and her family and let them know Eger’s organs could potentially save lives. Her lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys and corneas would all be donated." “We started to see that she was not going to be a miracle for us,” Davis says. “She was going to be a miracle for someone else.” https://lnkd.in/eVWppTJE // #donatelife

Consider a career in organ and tissue donation at LifeCenter Northwest! More opportunities at lcnw.org/careers.

Ginny Fagerstrom recently celebrated the 6th anniversary of her double lung transplant. She continues to share her story of gratitude in honor of the donor who restored her life. “In our Inupiaq culture there is a strong emphasis on sharing, giving, respecting others and showing gratitude,” said Ginny. “Receiving the lungs of another person is beyond description, beyond any kind of sharing or giving or gratitude. This gift has given me joyful days, quiet moments of reflection, conversations with my parents, trips home to Nome, silly family group texts and sewing sleepovers with my friends. Words can't fully express what we recipients want to say to our donors, our medical teams and our families. I feel the deepest gratitude in my heart, and I promise to live my gifted life in the best way I know to honor the gift." #donatelife #giftoflife #agiftforallseasons #gratitude

Ebony Jordan, a kidney recipient, met her donor's family on what would have been their loved one's 31st birthday. "I always let them know how grateful and thankful I am because I am," said Ebony. https://lnkd.in/dWasCsY6

Consider a career in organ and tissue donation at LifeCenter Northwest! More opportunities at lcnw.org/careers.

Donor families, save the date for this virtual remembrance event to honor your loved ones!