Be A Doer

When I mention to folks that I have recently had a cornea transplant operation due to Fuchs dystrophy, they sort of acknowledge it, then pause. “You mean you have a…” Yes, I have the cornea of a deceased person in each of my eyes. And I will be forever grateful for the gift of my restored sight. Without this operation, I would likely be unable to drive, read, admire my wife’s beauty and do hundreds of things we take for granted.

But there is more to my story, as I’ve been on the other side of organ donation. Through my adult life I’ve always been a blood donor. I can thank the example of my father, who was a regular blood donor.

One day, while making a blood donation, one of the technicians suggested that I might be interested in being a marrow donor. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) oversees marrow donations. I was told that the chances of getting called to donate were slim. The best donors tend to be related, as they have more factors that match. So I registered, figuring I could feel good about just being available.

Then about 25 years ago, I got a phone call. The lady on the phone identified herself as from the NMDP, then proceeded to tell me they found a match. A 33-year old carpenter with a wife and two children had Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant, he was facing a very short life span. The match was amazingly close, especially since we were not related. This, of course, bode well for the success of any transplant. A doctor called me and explained the procedure. He said that it would be painful – I would feel like I got kicked in the rear by a horse, and the recovery was a few weeks long. On that point, he was absolutely correct.

At this point, I was ambivalent. Why should I go through all that for someone I didn’t even know? As I was pondering this, I recalled a familiar passage of scripture. James 4:17 reads “So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.” I had no choice, this was something I had to do.

The process was interesting. I had to bank two pints of my own blood to replace what would be taken during the procedure. One thing I learned here was the reason blood centers restrict you to donating every 56 days is the wear on your body. I banked these two pints within a couple of weeks of each other and I was wiped out.

The center for donating marrow in our area is the Johns Hopkins All  Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. Gloria and I made an appointment and we visited the hospital to have them run a full complement of medical tests to make sure I could donate. It was interesting being an adult patient in a children’s hospital. They had to search to find needles that were large enough for adult use. Due to my status as a potential donor, I had a staff member escorting me to the various examinations. I didn’t have to wait. They were respective of my time and I got in to have each test as soon as I arrived at the designated areas. Later, Gloria told me that people were grumbling about me and why I was an adult getting such treatment. 

I passed the tests so we scheduled the donation. At this point, the recipient was informed and he was prepared for the procedure. In advance of the procedure, his marrow was drained, awaiting mine. It occurred to me that, if something had happened to me and I could not donate, he was doomed. Fortunately, all went well from that standpoint.

We drove to St. Petersburg Sunday afternoon and stayed in the downtown Hilton. The next morning we drove to the hospital, where I continued to receive preferential treatment. The procedure was performed and I was sent to a room to stay overnight. Once the marrow was collected, it was airlifted to the site where the donation would proceed.

 A nurse came to my room to check on me. She asked me to sit up. That worked. Then she said “Stand.” I did and immediately turned very pale. She quickly said “Sit.” The hospital was very accommodating about giving me whatever food I sought. Anything I needed was promptly supplied. Of course, all the staff were aware of my reason for being there and repeatedly expressed their appreciation to me. As I was being wheeled to the car, I was repeatedly applauded.

I don’t relate this so that I can receive people’s admiration. I did this because of God’s love for me. He died to give me eternal life. He calls on us to be generous. Deuteronomy 16:17 reads “Everyone shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.” He enabled me to give, what choice did I have? Our faith should be an active faith. Without works, our faith is useless. James 1:22 admonishes us “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves.” 

Be a doer.

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To learn more about a new life in Christ, click here.

All scripture unless otherwise indicated is from the New American Standard Bible. 

Photo credit to geralt on Pixabay.com