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Tell of a True Hero

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The Tale of a True Hero
Deena L. Benjamin
DeVry University

The Tale of a True Hero
I do not know you; all I know is what I have learned over the last 24 hours of caring for you. You were always there to help others. You had a kind and gentle soul. Your sense of humor had those around you always laughing. Everyone around you smiled, they wanted to be a part of your life however small. Even in death amidst the tears the smiles you produce fill the room. This is what I’ve learned about you told to me by your loving family and friends who must let you go. You have chosen to become a hero in death by providing life to others through organ donation.
As a hero you are lying in a hospital room that is dimly lit with the setting sun in the horizon. There is peace here even with occasional beeping of the monitor and the frequent humming of the breathing machine giving you breaths. Your family comes and goes and sits with you to reminisce about your life. I can see the kindness on your face and the strength you once had in life. If you did not have the large dressing around your head and the cuts and bruises from the accident, no one would know that doctors had declared you legally dead and your wishes were to be an organ donor. My job now is to find good caring homes for your heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. As a nurse I have to change direction from the typical role of caring for the patient to caring for the organs that are going to save the life of another. It’s a task I take seriously. Your presence drives me to keep going, no matter how long the hours, lack of food, or tough setbacks. The gift you and your family have so unselfishly given to others pushes me through whatever it takes so other families don’t experience the loss yours is feeling. The goal is to get the organs working to the best of their abilities so they can provide life to ones who need your help to survive.
I’ll order tests needed to evaluate the function of your organs. A technician will be up shortly to look at your heart with an echocardiogram. They place a probe on your chest and see how your heart is beating and if the valves are working properly. A doctor will come soon; using a camera they will look at your lungs and make sure there is no infection or injury that would make them unsafe for recipients. After all the evaluating, assessing, and talking with transplant doctors I look at the names of the potential people you have the opportunity to save. As their beepers go off, I wonder about the nervous smiles and the tears of joy that you are now providing to people who have never met you.
With tissue in hand I walk quietly with your loved ones to the doors of surgery, as your family says their last goodbyes. I hug them and thank them for the ultimate gifts you are about to give to others, I promise to take good care of you. As I push you into the bright and bustling operating room the crowd quickly comes over to help escort you to the table. The surgeons and staff work in unison to expertly prepare for the final step in your process. When all are ready the surgeons asks the anesthesiologist to turn off the breathing machine and medications that have been providing life to your organs. One by one the organs are removed and are carefully packaged and headed out the door to a sick patient entering an operating room similar to yours.
At this point I grow weary about the final task I have with you. I have spent the last 24 hours getting to know you, your family. I then quietly watch your heart beat, the last time for you. My time has come to say goodbye and as I help zip the body bag closed tears start to form in my eyes. I tell you how great of a job you did, how proud I am of you. You will always be a true hero in my heart, and the hearts of the people whose lives you saved today.

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