Zani ZartashahSBI3U1

Reflection - One Life Many Gifts VideoMy reaction when the video finished was just wow. I was so taken aback by it. The kids featured in the video are right though, when you’re young, no one plans on dying soon. It’s not on your mind. No one wants to talk about that. But if you did need an organ transplant tomorrow? I can’t imagine how it would feel to be told that you’re dying. Or even someone close to you, your younger sibling, or your mother. I wouldn’t even know how to feel in a situation like so.

The fact is, you donate your organs, and you would be saving another life. Life, something you couldn’t put an amount on or measure. Being the donor I believe is unbelievable. It takes people who are close to death and gives them life. Transplant relies entirely on human compassion and doesn’t happen unless a human chooses to donate. It makes my heart warm to see how compassionate people are. A man giving his kidney to a young boy who needs one to live. Not even a family member, simply a stranger. That boy will forever be thankful for this stranger’s act of kindness. I don’t think I could put into words how incredible it is to take a part of you and give to someone else just so they may see tomorrow and continue to be a life in this world. For the recipient, it seems like a very intense procedure. The number of people on the waiting list, the duration of time, praying that it was an organ match. The suspense not knowing if you’re going to get called or not. The thought that you’re waiting for someone to die so that you can live. So many emotions.

Or the desperate feeling as the recipient, to reach out to the donor’s family and show how much you appreciated it even if words could not express how much gratitude and thankfulness you felt in that moment. The deepest respect is shown from the recipient. Hearing about a kid who won a 100 metre dash with someone else’s heart beating in there chest. Or how a child who once had cystic fibrosis can now climb a mountain with his dad. Accomplishing so much in life because someone gave them a chance to live. It makes me very happy.

I’ve learned thousands of Canadians need tissue transplant. One donor can provide tissue up to 75 people. That’s incredible. I now realize after watching this, I need to make others more aware of this. The more people that know about this, the more organs donated, the more lives saved. Or the fact that I don’t need to invent something that saves millions of lives. Even if we each save one by donating that’s beyond amazing. Definitely something I would be proud of.