I am receiving a kidney from living donor, Shivon Robinsong, on November 14. This surgery will hopefully solve what is a lifelong genetic condition that has meant slow kidney function deterioration over decades. 95% success likelihood. Nevertheless, very major and serious.
(My wife), Dana and I can barely express the depth of meaning that this gift of love and an organ means to us, our family, and our work in the world.
My long time business partner and friend, Martha Burton, faces an even more challenging circumstance around organ donation. Her wonderful husband Robert, is in a late state of lung disease and is high on the waiting list for a lung transplant that must come from a recently
deceased person. It must be a person who has signed legal donation of
their organs. Robert is otherwise super healthy and one of the finest human beings on the planet. We are all distraught and praying that a minor miracle will occur and he will hear the good news that someone has signed the forms making their lungs available.
The point of this letter is to emphasize both the general and specific importance of all of us making the effort to sign up so that our organs may be used after our death, by others for whom they can be
the gift of life. And for the extra courageous and hearty, there are organ and bodily donations that can happen while we are alive. Many
people wait on lists desperately hoping for this miracle, and any of us may find ourselves or a close loved one in need at some point in our
lives.
The specific circumstance requires me to ask your understanding as I speak more poignantly about Robert's situation. Should a freak accident occur to me in the coming weeks, I would want my lungs made available to Robert or someone else with the right blood and other match, who could use them after Im gone. Wouldn't most of us want that to
happen?
The sad fact is that a small fraction of the population has signed up to make such donations possible. At least by the laws in BC,
without that few moments of paperwork, our body parts will simply go to the grave or crematorium.
Please go to the web site link that follows and sign up ASAP. If you live in another jurisdiction, take a few minutes and find out how
you can do the same.
www.transplant.bc.ca