I'd Do It Now

Organ donation is a big deal. And in my eyes, I think organ donation should be more than just something a person can do after they have passed away. Maybe that is due to my situation. When I was in elementary school, my mom had to have her kidney removed. Her kidney problems date back to when she was in her late teens. She had to spend days at a time in the hospital trying to fix her kidney and has the scars to show. After finally getting things under control, my mom thought she was in the clear. But in the mid-90’s, she opted for a laparoscopic removal of her failing kidney.

After reading about donation issues such as the high number of people in need a kidney, my heart dropped. What if my mom’s good kidney fails? A little panicked, nothing new, I rushed to ask her if her other kidney was okay. After reassuring me, she was curious where my question came from. She said I was being dramatic (surprise) and told me that it should be okay for the rest of her life. Despite my efforts to believe her, I told her right then and there that if she ever needed a kidney, that I would give her mine. As usual, she made some witty comment and then I could hear her smile through the phone. She knew I was being serious and let the conversation switch topics. But that’s when I started thinking. Just because I am her daughter, doesn’t mean I’m a match, nor does it guarantee my sister to be able to help. Instead, it made me worry more. If my mom needed a new kidney, she would have to wait on the list just like everyone else. That’s when I remembered all the TV shows I’d seen talking about the black market and illegal donation. Why can’t someone who is alive, donate their kidney if they want?

I know it sounds insane, but what if people wanted to donate this organ to someone else. Everyone is born with two kidneys, but can live with one. Maybe it is the philanthropy fever I have caught lately, but I would willingly throw my name on a donor list. Most people who need a kidney are desperate. They have exhausted all of their resources and still have no match. What if I was that match? What if my kidney could save the life of a little girl or a growing young man? And I think many people feel the same way. I think there should be a way to volunteer to donate your kidney. I’m not sure how, but I think there needs to be something. Maybe a Web site! Here, people who need a kidney could give their story and ask for help?
I don’t know. Now that I am writing this down, it makes me sound a little crazy; the fact that I would volunteer this for a stranger. But after spending so much time trying to sign-up organ/tissue donors and knowing all of the statistics, it is hard not to sound a slight be crazy. I have watched people blow off organ donation and refuse to sign-up. I have heard people agree with the myths. Yet there are still people, lots and lots of people, waiting for organs, many of them kidneys. Their lives are fragile and depend on someone else’s life. It is a hard concept to grasp.

And now that I have thought that my mom could be on the donor list sometime, it makes the concept even more absurd. I can’t imagine sitting with my mom and waiting for someone else to die in order for her to live. I just think how much easier it would be to turn to a Web site or volunteer list where someone willing could just list what she needed and everything could be arranged. Although every person our group signs-up to become a donor really helps, I don’t think they understand it. I just wish there was something more we could do to engage the nation to become more aware of this issue and just how many people are waiting for a kidney alone! I guess, this campaign is finally hitting home for me and it’s scary.

Written by Amanda McKelvey

15 Minutes to Save a Life

When the topic of organ donation is discussed, most individuals do not realize you can be a live donor. During the ONU Bone Marrow Registration Day, some members of the ONU Do It Now! team decided to register to become bone marrow donors; this details my experience of entering the national database.

Like most people, I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up to become a bone marrow donor. However, the process was incredibly easy. I had to fill out an application, which consisted of confidential information and a few questions about my health, such as height and weight. This part of the process took the most time, as you need two contacts and to think about your health.

After my application was screened and approved, I walked to the next station. While at this station, I was informed of what I had to do: “Take these two cotton swabs and roll them around in between your cheeks and gums for 10 seconds on the top first. Once you do this, do the bottom ones and you’re all done.” Honestly, the hardest part of this stage was getting the swabs back into the foam slots and not drooling all over my chin. After I handed the package containing the swabs back to the worker, I was done.

Entering the national database as a registered bone marrow donor was easy and only took about 15 minutes with a wait. However, becoming a registered organ donor is even easier. All you need to do is attend an ONU Do It Now! event with your driver’s license and then you can register with a team member.

Wanna Do It…
…Do It Now!

And just in case you forget your license, you can visit http://www.doitnowohio.org/onu/ to give the gift of life.


Written by Katalyn Yenne

Final Event

Hello Followers!

It is hard to believe our campaign is starting to wind down, but we are nearing the end of the Do It Now campaign here at Ohio Northern University. 

We are planning a few events on campus to celebrate our success and ask one more time for all of you to Do It Now! and we need your help.

What would you like for us to do as our final event?

Think of a warm spring afternoon on the tundra with music, food and cornhole. But what else interests you? After all, this is a celebration for all of our supporters, registrants and team members. 

Any suggestions??

ONU Bone Marrow Registration Day

Today the ONU Do It Now! team stopped by the Newman Club’s bone marrow registration drive. One of their member’s siblings is in need of a transfusion, so the group is trying to boost registration in hopes of finding a match. It was a refreshing surprise to see the number of students and community members who turned out for the drive. Furthermore, the heavy traffic in the student center did garner us additional attention; quite a number of individuals stopped by to ask us what we were doing. Among those who stopped, a happily large portion of them stated that they are already registered as organ donors, and have been for as long as they’ve been eligible. Though our campaign was less successful than the bone marrow registration in terms of new people signing up, it bolstered our faith in humanity to see so many people willing to help out a total stranger and become a potential bone marrow donor. Give life.
Wanna Do It…
…Do It Now

www.doitnowohio.org/onu

Written by Natalyn Giverson

Seven Pounds Urges

Will Smith proved he could be more than just a hottie on the big-screen. Only months ago, he sent a message so powerful it swept the nation and warmed the hearts of families everywhere. Through the movie “Seven Pounds”, Smith sent a powerful message about the importance of organ donation and the life changing effect it can have on the lives of those in critical need.
Sitting in the theatre I watched a man give his life for seven strangers. This gift of life restored hope and touched those not only acting in a movie but those mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters sitting around me in the small, dark movie theatre. I saw tears, smiles and a real connection to something deeper than just a plot in a movie. I realized to some, this message hit home on a whole other level. To them, this was more than just a weekend getaway movie with a cute actor. This was real life.
I think sometimes we forgot how precious living each day really is. Every day nearly 100,000 Americans suffer, hoping and praying that their day will come when they pick up the phone and hear the words, “we found you an organ donor.” You can make that possible. You can become an organ donor and make a positive impact on the lives of others like Will Smith’s character.
Don’t take my word for it; check it out for yourself. Jump online and learn the facts.
Wanna Do It…
…Do It Now!
Visit http://www.doitnowohio.org/onu/ today. Don’t wait to make a difference.

Written by Tegan Ellis

Dear Abby Discusses Awareness

Just as severe illness can strike the old, it can affect the young too. A Dear Abby article published March 5th pointed out the impact of disease on a young girl. Kidney disease shouldn’t be part of most 12-year-olds’ vocabulary, as it usually affects older people - but the writer, a now older Klarissa Ramirez of Minneapolis, knew all too well what it meant.
Ramirez was diagnosed during a routine athletic physical check-up. The routine check-up possibly saved her from losing her kidneys. She states in her letter that 100 people are added to the national donation list and 17 die every day waiting for organs. She stresses early screening and a healthy lifestyle as a way each individual can protect themselves.
Abby also added to Klarissa’s plea by informing her readers that March is National Kidney Month. Specifically, March 12th is World Kidney Day. The National Kidney Foundation raises awareness on this day by providing a free screening program called KEEP – Kidney Early Evaluation Program.
The National Kidney Foundation can help locate a program near you by calling 800-622-9010.
Wanna Do It...
…Do It Now!

Written by Madison Bender

My True Story - Donation Could Have Made the Difference

I have vague recollections of my great grandfather James as good humored and creative; he and my great grandmother, Miriam, and they would often fancy themselves to write and memorize poems to recite for their children and grandchildren. I saw many of these with my great grandmother and starred as the sole actor after my great grandfather had passed or on tape once my great grandmother was no longer quite able to recall the words.
Growing up and working on a farm his whole life, Great Grandpa contracted Hepatitis A. Being older and a little suspicious of “new-fangled” technologies, he refused to get any of the shots his doctor recommended. Eventually, this was linked to cancerous polyps that had formed in his large intestine. Of course, he also refused a colonoscopy, so the cancer had already spread to his liver by the time they removed the polyps from his intestine. Ultimately, it wasn’t the Hepatitis A that got him. In 1994, my great grandfather died of liver cancer. He was 78 years old. Many people associate any liver disorder with alcohol. My great grandfather had never consumed a drop of alcohol in his whole life.
Organ donation may have been able to save his life, but the length of the waiting list for organ donations is often too long for patients to overcome – especially older patients with pressing needs. That’s why it’s so important for people who are willing to donate step-up and make their wishes known.

If you’re willing to do it...Do It Now!

Written by Natalyn Giverson