Posted by Janet on 2/25/2003, 9:30 pm The Santillan family, their friends and all of those who supported Jesica, the 17-year-old heart lung recipient who died last Saturday are in our thoughts and have our deepest sympathy. But they aren't the only ones grieving the loss of a loved one. We haven't heard or read much about the two other families, the families who said yes to donation. It was their generous decision in the face of their own loss that allowed Jesica a second chance at life. But they remain anonymous faces and theirs is a more private, but no less painful grief. They too should be remembered. These families supported the system in this country that provided for over 18,000 transplants last year. In our own community, last year there were 354 such families in grief who said yes to donation and participated in a system that supported the donation, allocation and transplantation of precious gifts of life into 1134 of our neighbors. More people received life saving transplants in this region than anywhere else in the U.S., because of these families. These families not only said yes to donation, but also gave hope to the more than 4100 people locally who await their "second chance." The system worked. And none of these families should be overlooked for their desire to reach out and help another. Jesica's case involved human error, and is tragic. Is it also human error that allows for the death of 17 other people each day while they await life saving organ transplant? Is it human error that causes people to say "no" to donation? Certainly we must strive to improve the system, but we must also focus on the fact that if more people said yes to "donating life," more lives could be saved. And we need to remember that the Santillan family isn't the only family in grief that should be in our hearts and thoughts. SOURCE Gift of Life Donor Program CO: Gift of Life Donor Program ST: Pennsylvania SU: CHI http://www.prnewswire.com
Jesica's Family Does Not Grieve Alone
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by the Gift of Life Donor Program:
02/25/2003 20:03 EST
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