The Hashtags Told Me So

Yesterday, every time I looked at social media or checked my e-mail, I saw a reminder about #GivingTuesday.  It seems after the worldwide push to buy things on the Internet at low low prices on Cyber Monday, people thought it would be a good idea for the following day to focus on being charitable and other centered.  #othercentered  ;)

     While I feel like this blog is in many ways one long endorsement for why people should become organ donors, today I'm asking you to consider joining the #GivingTuesday cause.  This is an interrelated two-part request.  The first is a request for your time.  If you aren't already a donor, I hope that you will take a few minutes and Google how to become one in your state / province / country.  In Michigan, the process to sign up can be done entirely online and takes only a few minutes.  If you are already a donor, my time-related request is that you take a few moments to ask someone you love, or someone you work with, or a stranger, (bonus points if you can find one person who fits all three of those descriptions!!!) if he or she is a donor, and if not, encourage them to become one. 

     The second part of this request is that you tell your loved ones about your desire to be a donor.  This is not a legal requirement, because your decision is your decision, but telling the people you care about can make the whole process easier to digest and deal with should your family one day find themselves grieving your loss.  I know from talking to several different donor families that they feel their loved one "completed her journey" or "fulfilled his destiny" because they their sister, son, husband, or mother had spoken about the desire to be a donor, and then saved and improved lives when their organs were matched with people in need.

     I know it can be hard to take hashtags seriously sometimes, but perhaps #GivingTuesday can prompt a Wonderful Wednesday, and by the weekend, "sudden surge in donor registrations" will be "trending" on social media.