Everyone
has a story; this one is mine. I will begin at age thirteen when I
became an insulin-dependent diabetic. Not much was known about the
treatment of diabetes then, so I complied with the treatment regimen as
best as I could. I began to have complications related to the diabetes
at the onset of the disease. I suffered with nerve damage from the
beginning that produced tingling in my extremities and gastroparesis.
After twenty years, I had some more serious damage occur from the
diabetes. In the early 1990s, I had problems with my eyes. I was
unable to see out of one or both my eyes for several years. With the
help of some good doctors I regained my vision.
In the 1990s, the
gastroparesis caused some severe digestive problems. For the
next fifteen years I was hospitalized multiple times a year. One year
I was hospitalized thirty-nine times. Then in September 2006, I went
to sleep one night and woke up two weeks later in the Intensive Care
Unit. My kidneys had failed, and they began dialysis treatment. I
went to dialysis three times a week for a minimum of five hours per
treatment. I decided to get on a transplant list. I went through
tests for a little over a year. Every system in my body was tested. I
had to have two to three tests per month while continuing
dialysis. During this process, I almost died several times.
After a little over a year, I eventually made it to the list. It is
very difficult to get on a transplant list. A candidate for transplant
must be sick enough to need a transplant but healthy enough to live
through the process. There are not enough Organ Donors to provide
everyone who requires a transplant to receive one. I was lucky,
blessed, had good karma, or received a miracle; after being on the
transplant waiting list for only three months, I got the call telling
me they had a match. On March 28,2008, I got a kidney and pancreas
transplant. I had the transplant done at Ochsner in New Orleans,
Louisiana. The transplant team there is fantastic. The entire program
is designed for successful transplants. Ochsner is where talent meets
technology. A very special person and their family has given me the
gift of life. To this day I still do not know who these people are, but
they had become my HEROs. This person saved my life. I will be
grateful to this caring individual for the rest of my life.
My story has a happy ending. Approximately twenty people per day who
are waiting for a transplant do not find a donor and die. Since then my
life has changed. After thirty-three years, I am no longer diabetic and
I have good kidney function. I am attending Charity School of Nursingat Delgado Community College
where I am studying to become a RN. I plan on working in the
transplant unit at the hospital in which I received my transplant. My
second chance to live will not be wasted. The person who was my HERO
will live on. I owe my life to my organ donor and their family. My
life and the life of my wife, family, and friends is forever changed. I
am now an activist for Organ Donor Registration.
And The Story Continues ...
April 15, 2009, was a very exciting day. The H-E-R-O Movement held the first of many awareness events. I told my story to many people, and asked them to register as organ donors. The day was a success because a lot of people had been moved by the story of how I received the gift of life, and then decided to Help Everyone Receive Organs by registering as organ donors. It felt great to continue the legacy of the person who had saved my life. The person who was my HERO believed in organ donation, an now I was bringing awareness to this cause.
As I began the drive home, I wondered if the letter I mailed to LOPA (Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency) had reached the family of my donor, and if I had expressed my thoughts of gratitude in a manner in which they would understand. It was a very emotional day, and I was exhausted. When I got home, I went into my office and turned on the computer to check my email. I clicked on the button to access my account, and then I saw an email from Eric and Grace Gregory. The subject line read, "From your donor family." It seemed like time froze as I read the message. I was having trouble reading the words because tears were streaming down my face. I grabbed a tissue to dry my eyes and continued to read the email.
The Gregory family wanted to share some things about my HERO, their son. His name is Christopher Gregory. He was nineteen years old and the youngest of three brothers. He was very proud of the fact that at 6'4" he was the tallest of the siblings. They describe Chris as being smart and fun loving, with a heart full of compassion. He loved the outdoors, camping, sailing, and running cross-country. Chris had accomplished many things, including achieving the honor of Eagle Scout. He was attending Loyola University in New Orleans, where he was a freshman majoring in Criminal Justice. Eric and Grace then wrote something I had known since receiving my transplant. Chris believed in organ donation. The week before he passed away of a brain aneurysm, Chris had clearly told them that he wanted to donate all his organs when he was through with life here. Christopher Gregory cared about the rest of humanity, and he made the choice to give the gift of life. His decision saved my life and the lives of four other people. He also gave two people the gift of sight. I now know this: Chris was my HERO, and the HERO of many others.
Since then, I have had many opportunities to communicate with the Gregorys. We have talked on the phone and emailed each other. In late August of 2009, we were able to have a face to face meeting in New Orleans. I was extremely excited about this meeting, yet very nervous. What would I say to them? What would they say to me? When we first laid eyes on each other, we rushed to embrace. Tears filled my eyes as I said the only words which came to my mind, "Thank you."
The H-E-R-O Movement is dedicated to Christopher Gregory.
Everyone
has a story; this one is mine. I will begin at age thirteen when I
became an insulin-dependent diabetic. Not much was known about the
treatment of diabetes then, so I complied with the treatment regimen as
best as I could. I began to have complications related to the diabetes
at the onset of the disease. I suffered with nerve damage from the
beginning that produced tingling in my extremities and gastroparesis.
After twenty years, I had some more serious damage occur from the
diabetes. In the early 1990s, I had problems with my eyes. I was
unable to see out of one or both my eyes for several years. With the
help of some good doctors I regained my vision. 
The Gregory family wanted to share some things about my HERO, their son. His name is Christopher Gregory. He was nineteen years old and the youngest of three brothers. He was very proud of the fact that at 6'4" he was the tallest of the siblings. They describe Chris as being smart and fun loving, with a heart full of compassion. He loved the outdoors, camping, sailing, and running cross-country. Chris had accomplished many things, including achieving the honor of Eagle Scout. He was attending Loyola University in New Orleans, where he was a freshman majoring in Criminal Justice. Eric and Grace then wrote something I had known since receiving my transplant. Chris believed in organ donation. The week before he passed away of a brain aneurysm, Chris had clearly told them that he wanted to donate all his organs when he was through with life here. Christopher Gregory cared about the rest of humanity, and he made the choice to give the gift of life. His decision saved my life and the lives of four other people. He also gave two people the gift of sight. I now know this: Chris was my HERO, and the HERO of many others.