saying yes to saving lives that is what
happens when you register to become an
organ donor and we are nearing the end
of our green chair sit in raising
awareness about organ and tissue
donation and Todd Bickley is here with
us right now the manager of Recovery
Services for Life connection of Ohio so
Todd you’re not a donor or donor family
yourself here but uh talk about the work
that goes into this uh from your
standpoint uh this could be a tough time
for folks they’re they’re dealing with a
a life changing medical condition they
need this life-saving donation seeing it
come together has to be so gratifying
it’s incredible I I have a job that I
wake up to go to every day and never
really look at is I’m going to work I’m
going to uh just provide something that
that people are going to uh live on
through and and it’s the best news they
get um they’ve lived through their
journey of of struggles with their
illness or or what they have going on
and um they just wait and so our job job
is to help facilitate that gift of
donation for those people um it’s a
tough job like on our end because we’re
on the end where somebody’s always
passing so it’s it’s tough but I was
talking to a physician one day at a
hospital and and I was kind of
explaining that to him and and he said
uh he said Todd he goes you know what he
goes I I get it he goes but you guys
can’t change what is this this and he
pointed in the room and he said this
gentleman’s going to pass he said but
you guys can change what could be for
someone and and that right in that
moment just made me think oh my gosh
it’s just your F it’s the most simple
profound way that he could have said it
but it really just just brought into
Focus it’s it’s not about about me or
it’s not about like it it’s about
somebody out there that that needs this
gift and and we have the ability to be a
small part of that vehicle to help them
get that gift and it’s it’s it’s
incredible it’s my my
I will stay in organ donation as long as
they’ll have me I I absolutely love my
job and having a job that you love and
and you know that lives are being saved
here uh for for families out there that
are waiting this is so difficult it’s
not only the patient that’s waiting for
this uh organ or or or organs in some
cases the whole family is on edge about
this uh so when it comes together um
that just lifts everybody’s Spirits
doesn’t it it’s it’s amazing and and we
don’t get to be on that end of it all
that often um we do
where we see the end result we see the
family but we do occasionally have
because that’s all on their terms on the
recipients terms on the donor’s family
uh terms so we don’t really drive that
that’s just if they come together and
decide that they want us to be part of
that um we we can we had that recently
at St Vincent where a heart uh donor
multi-organ donor uh but met the heart
recipient the family of the donor at the
recipient and that’s that’s powerful
stuff what a moment that is in fact we
talked with Rick earlier this morning he
keeps in touch with his donor sister on
a weekly basis which is and this is
we’re talking 11 years later so well
Todd thanks so much for joining us we
know there’s also opportunities for
volunteering too sure would encourage
people to get involved absolutely get
involved life connection.org is the
website to go to we also have a ton of
resources on our website w.com we
certainly uh encourage you to check that
out at
