Hi, community. A couple of days ago my dad, who has been gravely ill in the ICU, was the grateful recipient of a new vital organ, without which he certainly would have died this summer. I am 37 weeks and halfway across the country, and my siblings and I honestly thought he'd die waiting and that I'd never see him again. He has another chance because someone decided to be a donor, and more importantly because their next of kin acted quickly and unsqueamishly to honor their wishes. Most of you are probably already registered donors yourselves, but this is a PSA to talk to your parents and anyone for whom *you* are next of kin to make sure that they are donors, so in the circumstance you're faced with making the decision, you can act with clarity. It's one of those unpleasant topics that can be put off indefinitely, but I hope you'll talk with your family about it if you never really have.

Per the transplant coordinator I spoke with, my dad's new liver came from someone who was likely older with his blood type, and I know their other organs went to additional people and gave all of them another chance. It's incredible. Organ donation does not have to come from a teenager in a car accident, as not all recipients need an organ to last for another fifty years, some only need it to last a decade or so.

Thanks for reading