[Music]
welcome back to good day we are winding
down the Donate like 24hour sit in
100,000 people in the United States are
waiting for life-saving organ
transplants and sadly someone has to
pass for even just one of the people
waiting to get what they need and the
process starts with just one word yes
Dave and jeene Peterson’s daughter said
just that good morning folks thanks for
being here today you’re wrapping up
these 24 hours and in honor of your
daughter Brooke who was very young when
she died in a car accident and you had a
conversation with her not long before
that so you had an idea of what she that
she wanted to be an organ donor you
weren’t in the loop on that no nope um
in fact when they asked us at the
hospital after they pronounced her dead
um I said no and but then Jean was out
in the hallway she was talking with the
high school kids I mean there was like
30 of them up up there in the hallway
well when she came in I says Well jean I
go these people have a question and I we
we do this together so I says so they
asked her and she says yeah that’s what
Brooke
wanted and you were cuz she was what R
knew getting her driver’s license or she
was when she got her license when she
was 16 she had said afterwards we were
talking about it on the way home and
she’s like I think I want to do that mhm
mhm and so she she was able to save
lives and you actually know I believe
one of the recipients and you have a
relationship there yeah Yes actually
we’ve met two um Ashley McCarley was a
liver recipient from Mount pear and she
got five more years and then she passed
from other complications
complications and then Jim Watley he is
from
Florida and we’ve been talking to him
since the oneyear anniversary of the
trans plant we go down and see him every
year wow so kind of part of the family
AB part of the family and then you’ve
also lived the other side of it as well
because you have a family member your
father correct yes uh who is a recipient
yes he uh went on dialysis the day of
our daughter’s viewing wow and then in
2010 on July 1st he got a kidney and he
got 10 more years out of that kidney
before he passed away from complications
of cancer mhm so you said if it were up
to you you know that day back in 2008
you would have said no right because you
weren’t educated right I back then I
said I wasn’t educated so today I wasn’t
much of a speaker at first but I talk
more now sometimes they have to turn the
camera off because I talk too much but
um I just wanted to get the word out
just
to educate people to
understand it so they can make their own
decision because um I’m not there to say
to be an organ Doner not to be but
educate them so they can make their
choice and hopefully they’ll have a
better understanding than what I did 16
years ago right cuz it was tough I mean
cuz I knew nothing about it then and I
can’t imagine you know the grief and and
all everything that’s happening at once
yeah I had somebody mention on my
Facebook page yesterday that she’s
actually needs a heart and she said that
she feels
bad you know knowing someone else had to
die for her to receive that but we were
talking earlier and you mentioned that
it has helped you heal some yes yes it’s
helped us
um basically
we we have our we call it our um Family
Life connection family M um I remember
the first games I went to people come up
and give us hug to same thank you and we
didn’t give to them but just because our
daughter our hero gave that they just
said Thank you and it it made you feel
good and you got to see people that did
receive on what they were doing and that
and living their lives and so her dad
when he received I mean so we’ve been on
both sides so we got to see him have 10
more years because somebody else said
yes right so yes it’s helped us and we
have a big support group our donor
families and recipients a lot of friends
that we have a really good support group
that yeah and then you come and you’re
able to share yes Brook’s beautiful face
our her our hero and um and share you
know her beautiful story about her life
and what and you know she had 16 years
old made that decision you know I want
to help somebody and she has right
absolutely and you see every year yep
talk to him almost once a week wow wow
so these are you know powerful stories
and that we’ve been sharing the last 24
hours and as you said though this is
about education so what would you
encourage people to do
today if you don’t know nothing about
donation um reach out there’s people
around in um Northwest Ohio I know um
with Life Connections just reach out and
um ask questions ask questions I mean
just educate yourself and if it happens
you’re you can donate great you know
you’re helping somebody else because hey
you know I always kept teasing I says
well when I go whoever gets my brains
going to be one smart
cookie you know and and to be able to um
to share your experiences that we really
and then they don’t do brains right now
but you know you never know you never
know you never know the the med medicine
and Technology out there folks thank you
so much for being here today and sharing
your story and Brook’s story and for
wrapping up 24 hours I think you’re the
last folks here in the green chair so we
appreciate you being here today thank
you very much Y and to Le’s the longest
running 9:00 a.m. show is going to be
back in just a moment thank you for
making us part of your good day we’ll be
right back
