NPR StoryCorps Moment

StoryCorps. Needless to say, it’s almost always a “driveway” (or in my case, parking lot) moment. But today…well, let’s just say it took a little longer to compose myself before I walked into the building. Here's why:

http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/184478282/a-gift-of-life-and-friendship-after-a-familys-loss

As you may or may not know, organ donation from someone who has died from cancer is usually impossible…except for eyes. For some reason, those can be donated. I learned that about halfway through the 14 month “odyssey.” John, I remember, was so glad he’d at least be able to donate them. So, I talked to the Eye Bank the day after John died, as they needed to ask me questions. As the questioning went, I was thinking about how his eyes were so pretty and chocolate-brown and how they would be helping someone else. But then, the questions went into places that he’d resided, and I immediately knew where they were going with them. “Has he ever lived overseas?”

Well, yes, he was in the Air Force. And he was stationed, among other places, in England during the 80s for about four years. They were going with the same line of questioning I had heard before; because there’s no way to detect mad cow’s disease, he was prevented from donating his O+ blood. He learned that on September 11, 2001, when he went to the Red Cross to try to donate after many years not giving blood.

And on January 20, 2013, they said they would not be using his eyes. And it broke my heart.

I would love to see that photo of the woman hugging the man who had organ donations from her husband. I would have wanted to know, too.

In the meantime, I picked a few lilacs before leaving home today so that I could enjoy them at my desk today. John planted them, because he had heard how much I loved the lilacs that lined the back of the property of my childhood home in Marshall. So very glad they’re here for me to look at and smell. Not as good as his eyes, though, but it helped.

So glad for StoryCorps; it’s one thing I look forward to on Fridays. But when it replays in a few minutes, I’ll have to turn the radio down.