October 29th, 2018

October 29, 2018
 
              LifeCenter Northwest is the organ donation center for our part of the United States. We became closely acquainted with them during the time following our son Josh’s death, including the feature article about him in their annual report and follow-up gatherings of donor and recipient families. I wanted to share some thoughts with you about organ donation.
              A team from LifeCenter Northwest which works with donor families at the time that the organs, tissues, etc., are harvested is now offering my book to the families to help them deal with their grief. I am so glad, because that is the purpose of the book, and I always hope that people take away assurance of God’s grace in their troubled lives.
              Organ donation is a controversial subject at times, and of course people have the right to their beliefs and choices. However, in my view, research scientists and surgeons are endowed by God with knowledge and skills to make life better for people. That includes new techniques like transplants, which can save lives and reduce pain and other traumas.
              We were blessed with the opportunity to meet the young man who received our son’s heart and to listen through a stethoscope to that heart beating in his chest. Six people received major organs, among them large men for whom heart, lungs, and liver are size-specific. The recipient of Josh’s lungs is living a full life after a time when lung disease had him debilitated. Other people received veins, which in two cases saved people from amputations. Others received bone like vertebrae, the answer to pain reduction, as well as skin, eye corneas, tendons, and other parts.
              A total of over 100 people have been blessed with donations from Josh, and because their families are affected by their “new” lives as well, those blessings have increased exponentially. We see God’s hand in the whole process and thank Him to have played a part in their work. Josh lives on, and his death becomes an instrument to others’ happiness. Praise the Lord!