Lost in Place

My brother-in-law is donating his kidney today. Not to another family member, not to a long-time friend, not even to a friend of a friend but to his employee whom he'd known maybe 2 or 3 months before making this decision. Sure, most people roll their eyes or don't care about something like this, "it's no big deal. So?" I think it goes without saying that to the young boy's family, it *is* a very big deal. Someone is saving the life of their child/sibling. That's pretty cool.

I don't see this at all as what the donor gets out of it, I know a lot of people look at it only that way. I see it from the recipient's end of it. What he or she gains from it. In some cases, it can be something small, in others it can mean life.

I never considered being an organ donor, it always freaked me out. In high school, a friend of mine died in a climbing accident and his organs were donated. That started me thinking about it but still not "caring" about it. A few years ago, my brother needed corneal transplants. Unlike some donations, someone had to die for my bother to keep his sight. That freaked me out. But because of that, the next time I renewed my driver's license (which was only a month or two later), I checked the organ donor box for the first time.

It's a very personal matter, that goes without saying. Something I would hope people didn't jump in to or out of lightly. I know my brother-in-law didn't and I admire him for his decision. I know there is a family out there who will be forever grateful for him and the choice he made.