March 15 Changed My Life

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Today is a very special day. Every year this day marks another year of my life that I would not have had if a 10 year old boy named Cody had not told his mother that he wanted to be an Organ Donor.                         Cody’s mom had come in to find him in tears in front of the TV and asked him what was wrong. He explained to her that these kids were dying because they weren’t able to receive the transplants they needed to survive. He asked that if anything ever happened to him, would she donate his organs?                         2 weeks later Cody was hit by a car while walking home from school.                        On that same day I got the call that saved my life. The surgeon himself said that Cody’s liver was meant for me. It was a perfect match in every way.                         The progression of my liver disease occurred over such a long period of time that I hadn’t realized just how sick I was. It was the simplest things that brought so much joy after my transplant. My eyes were white, I could reach the handles at the sink because my stomach was flat, I wasn’t tired all the time, and my hair had life! It held a shine and it was so soft. Not only was I happy, but so was my body and it was showing.                         When I look over the past 8 years I remember a lot of pain, complications, heartache, and fear… but that’s not all. I see 8 years of memories, stories, and experiences I never dreamed of having. There are monumental moments, High School graduation, well on my way to obtaining college degree, discovering God's calling in my life, I have the luxury of dreaming about the future. No longer is it about God just bringing me to the next day, it is about where He is going to take me years down the road. I have had to learn to live for today and plan for tomorrow. Dreams that I used to be afraid to chase are now things I have confidence I will accomplish.                         Life expectancy predictions are something I have had to learn to look past because already God has proven that His timing is all that matters.                         It feels ironic that I would be experiencing and facing rejection of my transplant on this day 8 years down the road. I am constantly faced with the reminder that just because I got a new liver, it didn’t fix this disease. My new liver has been under attack and been through a lot and sometimes I wonder if I didn’t get the right one. Then I remember the story of how God completely hand selected Cody’s liver for me. I may have had complications, but they led to instances in my life where God’s glory was revealed.                         Last night I had a thought… I am not sure why it hadn’t come to me before then… Will I see Cody in Heaven? Someday when I get there will he be waiting for me? Could I possibly have the chance to thank him personally for helping save my life? He lost his life at the age of 10 to save my life at the age of 14. I had already had more life than him, so why me? Why him? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that I am extremely grateful for him speaking up about being an organ donor.                         To those of you who are already donors, thank you. I know that talking about death is not easy and for some it’s scary or morbid, but when you choose to be an organ donor you are able to leave one last gift to the world. You won’t need your organs and think, the very last thing you will have done on this earth is save lives. What better way could you imagine entering Heaven?