Love For Ashley

In my experience talking to people about organ donation, trying to convince them to become donors, I have learned that many are not organ donors because of their lack of knowledge. Many people do not take the time to become educated; to learn more about the organ donation process. With over 98,000 people on the National Waiting List it is important that each and everyone of us take the time to get educated. On the Love for Ashley blog, I will highlight some of the more common myths and facts on organ donation and I will share with you important online resouces for organ donation. Myth 1 Doctors will not do everything possible to save my life if they find out I am an organ/tissue donor. Fact Donation can only occur when a patient is declared brain dead. Brain death is declared by a separate team of doctors who are not affliated with the organ donor recovery team. Myth 2 My family will be responsible for the medical bills associated with organ donation. Fact A family of an organ/ti...

I am copying this story from Confessions of a CF Husband . Nathan's wife Tricia sufferred from Cystic Fibrosis for years. She recently gave birth to their first child, Gwyneth. About two weeks ago Tricia received a double lung transplant and is doing pretty well. Below are links to two stories that became one due to the gift of organ donation. Please click on the first link, watch the video and read the story then click the second link. Watch This First Watch This Second As you read these stories, please pray for the donor family as they grieve the loss of their two young boys. These two stories are truly what organ donation is about.

Turn on your speakers and grab some Kleenex!

Yesterday was April Fools Day, it was also the first day of Organ Donor Awareness month. Organ donation is no joke, it's not a laughing matter. When you are one of the over 100,000 people waiting for a new organ, organ donation is a very serious matter. The statistics regarding those waiting for the gift of life and those who actually donate is a national crisis that needs to be taken serious. At the end of 2007, 28,354 received a new liver, heart, kidney(s), pancreas, lung(s) or intestine. However, only 14,395 people were organ donors. Considering there was a total of over 96,000 people on the National Waiting List at the end of 2007, fourteen thousand donors is just a small drop in the bucket. Being an organ donor is the most selfless act one can do for another human being. Being an organ donor means that you have the potential to save the lives of 8 people. As an organ donor, you are leaving a lasting legacy of your love for others. There are so many people depending on you to s...

April is Organ Donor Awareness month. In April, we work hard to promote organ donation and thank those who have donated organs to save others. Love for Ashley will dedicate the post during the April to organ donation; those in need and those who generously gave. Do you have a story to tell? Has your life been affected by organ donation? Please share your story with us. Send to loveashley@loveforashley.com.

This journal is mostly about Ashley, about her struggles with liver disease and wait for a liver transplant. This journal was started mainly to keep family and friends who love Ashley informed on how she is doing but it was also started to help me cope with having a daughter with a life threatening illness. However, today, it's about none of of these things. It's not about Ashley, me, or how we as a family cope with her illness. Today, it's about other children like Ashley who need an extra prayer or two. If you look to the right of this website you will see a headline called "Liver Friends". Please take the time to visit some of these websites. But before you leave Love for Ashley let me briefly introduce you to those special children. Aiden is a sweet goodlooking blonde-haired boy who had biliary atresia. Aiden received a liver transplant when he was just a tiny baby. Although, Aiden's liver transplant was a success, he still struggles with life thr...

A few months ago I stumbled upon a great website that talks about organ donation and having compassion for those who not only received the gift of life, but also gave the gift of life. Ted of " My Angel Foundation ", asked me to post on his new blog called How Has . "How Has" asks people to submit a personal story on how organ donation impacted their life. Below is what I submitted and Ted published on the How Has blog. Organ donation, just two words to most people but to me those two words mean that there is hope! As a child my family talked about organ donation, giving of oneself so that others could live. We never thought that one of us would need a new organ or become an organ donor. Talking about organ donation was a subject discussed at the dinner table as easily as saying our prayers before every meal. It was no surprise to anyone that at age 16, when I received my driver’s license, that organ donor would be placed on my new license. Not only did I have orga...