Fairy Wings and Other Things

In the past couple of months my daughter, who is 3, has been asking about mom. I never really know what to say other than "She's gone and while she can see you, you can't see her". It's very hard to explain to a 3 year old about death, when I myself don't fully understand it. We manage and she seems happy with that explanation. I try to tell her that Granna is with her all the time watching over her and is never really gone as long as we keep her memory alive. We've always referred to mom as an angel and that she has beautiful wings now and wherever she is, she's very happy and at peace.

I never really understood how this thought of wings truly impacted Madeline until a few days ago. She had on her Tinkerbell wings and was 'flying' around the kitchen. She 'flew' over to me and said "Now I'm just like Granna." I looked at her with a puzzled expression and said, '"Why do you say that?". Her response was "Because I have wings too!". If only I could be that innocent.

It's moments like these that I really reflect on everything that I have and everything that I wish I could share with mom but can't. The other day in my anger I was talking to my dad on the phone and said "Oh! I wish mom was here so I could talk to her about this! She knows exactly what I mean!!".

I'm not angry that she didn't get her much deserved transplants. It just makes me want to work harder to make sure that the awareness is out there. I want to make sure that people understand that stories like the ones I've just shared with you don't have to happen. Help 8 families from sharing sad stories, become an organ donor.

Pumpkinfest

Things are still relatively quiet. I'm getting ready for the events that are about to come. I need to work on my presentation and I have some other pans in the fire that I need to get working on. My mother was always so exasperated with me because I may be a weee bit of a procrastinator.

Yesterday I approached the Gold Wing Road Riders Association again about the Pumpkinfest parade and I'm happy to say that 25 people signed up to be a part of the float! I think that is about 10 bikes, but I have to double check for sure on the sign up sheet. Either way it's going to be noticeable, which is what I'm going for. I'm pretty excited about all of this, so I really hope it turns out well.

There's a new group in the area too. True Compassion was started by Pam McRae to bring awareness to organ donation as she knows 2 families where one person is giving another a part of their liver. How amazing is that!?! One person is giving another their life back, and that is truly how it will feel the recipient. This just reiterates the fact that live donation can work! I wish these 2 families well in this amazing adventure.

Find Pam on Facebook. Just search for the "True Compassion" group.

Quiet Time

I have been thinking about mom more frequently. It's hard to put into words how it feels to lose a loved one when a simple act such as registering to donate could have saved their lives. I try not to look at this way, however, because I know that's not what my mother would have wanted. I often find myself wondering "What would mom say to me?". I know that she's with me everyday because I carry her memory close to my heart.

I've been relatively quiet for a few days because not a lot is going on. I'm getting ready to give a presentation about organ donation at the Picton Library on September 17 @ 11am. I'm also in the process of organizing an Donor Registration Drive at the Picton Home Hardware. I've had the wind taken out of my sails a bit, but don't worry... it will be back!

I hope to see you at one of these events... and of course, there's always Pumpkinfest!

Where You Can Find Me

I'm happy to say that the Picton Public Library has allowed me to give a presentation on organ donation and have a Donor Registration Drive at their facility. I'm excited to be talking about organ donation and how important it is to register. Stop in to find me on Sept 17 at 11am! Bring your healthcard so you can register!

Donor Registration Drive

I am in the process of organizing a Donor Registration Drive to take place at the Picton Home Hardware. I'm very happy to be doing this as it will help raise awareness in the community about organ donation. I don't have a concrete date confirmed as of yet but will keep you posted. If you're in the area and would like to volunteer some of your time for this great cause, please let me know!

This picture was taken of mom about 7 years after her liver transplant. Because of someone's generosity mom was able to play with her granddaughter. It's a gift that you can't say thank you enough for.

Ashley Stinson

I just read an article about an amazing 11 year old girl, Ashley Stinson, from Peterborough. She just received a heart transplant on July 31 (her birthday) and is up out of her wheelchair already. It's stories like this that make me proud to be championing this cause! See, you can make a difference! Have you registered to donate yet? If so, have you told your friends and family about your decision and asked them to register too? Head on over to beadonor.ca to register, all you need is your healthcard!

Fact for Today

In March 2011 17,898 people sent in their donor registration form because the Gift of Life Network started sending them with a postage paid envelope.

Now that is excellent! Just a reminder that I created a page on Facebook. Click here to see it and make sure you 'Like' us. It's a place for people to share their stories and meet other families that may be donor families or recipients.

I have lots of other little facts that you may find very interesting. And the facts on here are different than the ones on facebook.

I have contacted Pastor Peter Spragg about running a Donor Registration drive at the Emmanuel Baptist Church. I'm going to issue the challenge to the congregation to register to donate and save lives. Who doesn't like a good challenge? I will keep you posted.

Morning Show

I want to send out a huge Thank You to Brian and Shauna of the 98.3 Fly FM morning show. I'm so happy that I was able to share my story. I apologize to the listeners for getting emotional but this is still a very sensitive subject for me as I just lost mom last April. If you've stopped by the site because of the morning show I encourage you to read mom's story. She was an extraordinary woman who had strength and willpower that I don't think I will witness in this life again. She was truly amazing.

I had a great response to the morning show and I'm very happy for that. Since starting this and being in the media I have helped save up 40 lives!! This is just from the people that have told me they registered, but it feels great! I don't want another family to have watch their loved one fail because an organ isn't available. I want to help people understand the importance of registering to donate.

I am currently looking at organizing Donor Registration Drives at local sporting events, through the local library system as well as seniors residences. I will keep you posted on how that goes for sure! Lastly, Hummingbirds for Hope is now on Facebook! Click here to 'Like' us!

Be A Donor.ca

Tonight I took part in the Be a Donor.ca training session. I am looking forward to organizing a registration drive or maybe even a baseball tournament. I will have to see what is available to me to do that. I am also hoping to get into highschools in the coming school year to raise awareness. The possibilities are endless and I plan to go to all lengths to make sure I research each and every one of them. It is so easy to register and give the gift of life. Just click here. All you need is your health card!

Did you know that people who are the recipients of organs can still donate? Plus age really "ain't nothin' but a number". The oldest person to donate an organ was over 90 years old and for tissue they were 102!! So when I meet resistence in the older generation... well, now I have ammunition to back up the statement that anyone can register!!

Make sure you register today!

I'm At It Again!

I'm happy to tell you that I have been invited onto the Morning Show with Brian and Shauna at 98.3 Fly FM! This is especially exciting for me since I listen to them every morning and it's a great range for me since the radio station is based out of Kingston. Hopefully I can reach even more people and stress the importance of registering to donate!

Changing Current Beliefs

The other day I was discussing organ donation with my grandmother. She had no idea that you can be any age to donate! You're never too old! (Or too young!) There is always going to be someone out there that can benefit from organ and tissue donation no matter how old the person is. Even if you can't donate everything, there are still organs and tissue that you may be able to donate. It's so important to get that out there, because people have these beliefs that need to be corrected. Organ donation SAVES LIVES.

My plan is to help people in the area understand organ and tissue donation. The current percentage of people registered in this area (Belleville) is 23%. I hope to increase that to 25% by the new year. Let's see if I can!