Story On Organ Donation-

Two years to the day after getting the call about her son Abraham’s illness, Malani
sits down with us to tell his story:

Abraham, a senior linebacker at Dixie State University in Utah, began experiencing

cramps during the first day of football spring training. At first, it didn’t seem
serious. But in a matter of hours, he was rushed to the hospital with severe
cramping, numbness and seizures.

His mother Malani and father Norman were nearly 3,000 miles away at their home in
Hawaii when they learned about his illness. They spent the next day flying to Utah.
When they reached the hospital, they discovered that Abraham had experienced
hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood) and brain herniation, a condition that
causes brain death. They were losing their son.

The doctors and organ donation representatives spoke to the couple. Malani
understood what they were saying — there was no hope of Abraham surviving. For her,
organ donation was a simple choice. “My son is all about caring for people,” she
said.

Abraham always stood up for others, she explained. Having been bullied himself as a
child, he always reached out to help others. “He was the type of person who, if he
saw someone struggling or if he saw people bullying somebody, he would go and
protect them. He would take them under his wing and give them whatever they
needed.”

That day, Abraham gave five people the help they needed. He donated his liver,
heart, lungs, kidneys, and pancreas.

The year following his death, Dixie State University’s football team honored the
former linebacker. They made him an honorary captain for the season and celebrated
his legacy with a “Pick 6” scholarship. It was named for the last touchdown he
made, as well as the six organs he donated.
To his family and his recipients, Abraham’s greatest contribution was off the
field. “I feel very proud of my son, and I can say that, in my eyes, he's a hero.
His last heroic act was saving lives. The light was shining on him. He was a giver
who gave to the very end.
”

Story no.2-
A strong will, determination, and the miracle of organ donation have kept illness
from standing in the way of a young woman’s dreams.

“All through high school, I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to worry
my parents. All I wanted to be was a normal teenager, graduate high school, and
attend the University of Kentucky. I guess you could say I was a good actress,”
Amelia has said.

Amelia did graduate from high school. “I remember thinking at graduation that it
was a miracle that I was alive.” Yet, she still kept silent about the symptoms
which she learned only later were those of liver disease.

The week before she was to leave for the University of Kentucky, Amelia could no
longer deny that something was wrong. “I started having terrible stomach pain and
then I woke up one morning and I couldn’t walk and my skin was yellow.” A biopsy of
her liver found she had cirrhosis. “I just remember being so embarrassed,” Amelia
said. “How can I have cirrhosis? I never drank! After the initial shock, all I was
concerned about was whether I could go to college.”
Amelia’s doctors doubted that she would be able to handle college. But nothing
would stop this Kentucky girl. Her parents helped Amelia move into her dorm two
days after her biopsy, and she successfully completed her first semester. “When I
came home for Christmas break the doctors told me my disease had progressed and I
would have to go on the transplant waiting list. I thought it would be a six-month
wait. I didn’t have a clue. The hardest part of this whole process isn’t the
recovery, it’s the waiting.”

Back at school, Amelia took a full course load and summer classes. She was afraid
she wouldn’t live to see graduation, but she did. “I was involved in everything. I
promoted the Challenge to promote organ and tissue donation on two campuses.”

After four-and-a-half years on the waiting list, Amelia received the phone call
that a donor liver was available. “I was really lucky to still be alive at that
point. The problem with waiting for an organ is that so many other organs are
affected and so many things can go wrong.” For Amelia, her transplant came just in
time.

“The real heroes are the donor families. I look at it this way: there could have
been two tragedies, but my donor family turned their tragedy into a blessing. I’m
forever grateful.”

Amelia wrote to her donor family, and the organ procurement organization forwarded
the letter. “It took a while, but I heard back from my donor’s mother. She told me
that her son was a helpful person who loved people, and if there was a way for him
to help others he would do it.”

Today, the mother of Amelia’s donor keeps a picture of Amelia and her son next to
each other on her mantle