 A Donor Mom's True Story& Memorial of Michael Blagojevic  AS I HAVE PROMISED OUR DEAR MANAGER LUBA, HERE IS A LETTER FROM A DONOR FAMILIES PERSPECTIVE. EVERYONE NEEDS TO HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT HOW MOST DONOR FAMILIES MAY FEEL! THE PICTURE ABOVE IS OUR SON MICHAEL WITH HIS SWEET ANGEL OF A DAUGHTER, GABRIELLE. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN EXACTLY A YEAR BEFORE MIKE'S PASSING AT HIS BROTHER ANDREW'S WEDDING!  PERSONALLY, WE ARE SO PROUD OF THE DECISION WE MADE. WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO KNOW AS WELL THAT IT WAS OUR SONS WISHES IF ANYTHING EVER HAPPENED TO HIM...WHO WOULD HAVE EVER GUESSED THAT IT WAS A VERY SHORT TIME COMING THAT HIS WISH WOULD COME TRUE! SEEMS LIKE A SAD WISH, BUT IF YOU KNEW OUR SON I HONESTLY BELIEVE WITH EVERY BREATH I TAKE HE KNEW UNCONSIOUSLY THAT HIS TIME WAS COMING...THE LORD HAD OTHER PLANS FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY! HE WAS A VERY STRONG, HEALTHY, AND MOST OF ALL A LOVING PERSON. BUT HE WAS A TROUBLED SOUL ON THIS EARTH, ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME, AND UNFORTUNATLY MICHAEL HAD A SERIOUS DRINKING PROBLEM THAT HE SO DESPERETLY TRIED TO CORRECT, I SOMETIMES FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS BECAUSE BOTH MY PARENTS WERE ALCOHOLICS, WE TRIED SO DESPERETLY TO PREPARE OUR SONS FOR THIS ADDICTION THAT THEY MAY HAVE INHERITED, MICHAEL WAS SO LOVING HE HATED BEING DRUNK BUT COULDN'T HELP HIMSELF, HE WOULD BLACK OUT AND HAD LOSS OF MEMORY AT TIMES ....IN THE END IT WAS HIS ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL THAT KILLED HIM, HE HAD A TERRIBLE FALL IN HIS HOME, WHEN HIS FRIEND FOUND HIM HE IN FACT WAS ALREADY DEAD...PARAMEDICS ARRIVED WITHIN MINUTES AND WERE ABLE TO REVIVE HIM, BUT MICHAEL NEVER DID GAIN CONSIOUSNESS. THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ALL HAPPENED ON FATHERS DAY, THE POLICE WERE AT OUR DOOR AT 5AM THAT MORNING TO TAKE US TO THE HOSPITAL, I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS THOUGHT THIS WOULD EVER HAPPEN TO US! THE EMERGENCY DOCTORS INFORMED US THAT HE WAS PROBABLY BRAIN DEAD AND ASKED US ABOUT ORGAN DONATION...AT THIS POINT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU OUR STORY THAT I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT I SHARED WITH OTHERS AT A CEREMONY FOR ORGAN DONOR WEEK IN CANADA. 
Our Son, Mike, died yesterday, at least that is how I feel in my heart. Actually it was June 20th 2000. He had just turned 26 yrs. old, with a beautiful little daughter. Every time the phone rings, for a split second my thoughts bring us back to the phone call telling us to answer our front door, "It's the police". They told us our son had a tragic accident in his home and he is in critical condition at the hospital. When we arrived, the doctor told us that Mike had died and the paramedics revived him, but he is probably brain dead. The doctor asked us if we would consider Organ Donation and my husband and I both said YES at the same time. It's probably the first time we agreed about a situation involving our 2 Sons, without having to
discuss it first, but of course we had some questions.Shortly after, Mike was transferred to ICU, and I must say how awesome they took care of my baby! The specialist then informed us that Mike had severe brain damage, he was not brain dead, but was not likely to survive. In addition, because of all the drugs and shock process of reviving him, we were told that Mike may not be able to donate his organs. We were very disappointed because we knew that Mike would have wanted to be an Organ Donor. As our sons were growing up, I could not stress the word communication enough! Fortunately Mike never had a problem talking, in fact, it seems he never stopped! I remember Mike phoning us one day to tell us to look in the newspaper. One of his friends that he grew up with playing hockey had donated bone marrow to a young girl who would have died. He had participated at the University of Toronto for blood testing and he was thrilled to know he was responsible for "Giving The Gift of Life". Isn't that so COOL Mom, Mike said! Also the year before Mikes' passing he fractured his wrist, between doctor visits he come to find out our family doctor's daughter needed a kidney transplant and his wife was her donor. I remember the conversation we had that night at our dinner table so clearly. Mike had told us how strongly he felt about donating his organs, he said, "what good are they in the ground"? As time ticked away at the hospital we prayed for our "MIRACLE", especially because Andrews' first wedding anniversary was the next day. PLEASE GOD, DON'T LET OUR SON DIE! 2 days went by and Michael was hooked up to every machine possible, his brain activity continued to worsen, it was only a matter of time. The next thing we knew, more testing was being done and the hospital chaplain was by our side when the doctor told us how sorry he was that Michael was, in fact, brain dead. Michael was now gone, but because he lived for those 2 1/2 days, they were able to replenish and revitalize his organs which meant Mikes wish would come true! He could be an organ donor! At that point we met with Corinne, a co-ordinator from the M.O.R.E. Program, we did a medical history, and shortly after we were informed a liver recipient Match would be waiting at another hospital. The next morning we received a phone call letting us know Mike had given "The Gift of Life" to 3 people, and later we found out 2 people have been blessed with vision because of Mike's gift. My grandfather was blind, so that especially made me happy! Within a few months we come to find out that 25 people in total have been blessed with Mikes organs or tissue...I even found myself visiting the ambulance division that would have been called the night of Mikes accident, I just had to do my share of communicating!  I informed the paramedics there, that because of their gallant efforts, our son lived for 2 1/2 days, we were able to try to face the inevitable, all of Mikes friends, family and his little girl were able to say their good-byes and to see him so peaceful. And because of them, Mike was able to be an ORGAN DONOR! I have since met some Incredible people over the internet who are awaiting transplants. My strongest supporter is a young woman, from Ont.California, the same age as my son, who is on the transplant list waiting for a heart-double lung transplant. It was meant to be for her and I to find each other. It's the talking with others that has helped me through my healing process. I know that communicating with others, and the little voice I hear each night, it's mine, telling Michael how awesome he is, and how much we miss him. He and others like him have helped hundreds of people avoid the grieving we have had to face, and all I see is a 'HUGE SMILE ON HIS FACE".
I ALSO WANT TO TELL EVERYONE IN THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY, HOW PROUD I AM TO HAVE MET YOU! AND EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU KNOW HOW YOU'VE TOUCHED MY HEART AND SOUL, BECAUSE OF THIS INCREDIBLE SUPPORT GROUP I HAVE DECIDED TO DEDICATE ALL MY SPARE TIME TO THE ORGAN DONATION ORGANIZATION...AND WILL DO ANYTHING IN MY POWER TO SPREAD THE WORD! SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS HAVE FALLEN INTO PLACE FOR ME, THIS HAS BEEN A MESSAGE SENT TO ME FROM GOD. TOO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED FOR ME NOT TO REALIZE THIS...TO BEGIN WITH OUR FUNERAL DIRECTOR "CHARLIE" GAVE ME THE BIGGEST HUG AFTER MICHAELS FUNERAL, WE WERE HAVING A LITTLE CHAT OUTSIDE OF THE FUNERAL HOME AND HE SAID HE'D LIKE TO SHOW ME SOMETHING...TO MY SURPRISE, HE WAS WEARING A BEEPER, HE WAS WAITING FOR A LIVER TRANSPLANT, AND HE SAID BECAUSE OF US, IT MAY HAPPEN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER FOR HIM, WE EVEN WROTE IN MICHAELS OBITUARY HIS BEING AN ORGAN DONOR FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!  THEN OF COURSE, I FOUND LUBAS' SITE-HEART/LUNG TRANSPLANT SUPPORT GROUP...SHE CREATED THIS SITE ON MICHAELS' DAUGHTERS BIRTHDAY, I HAD SEARCHED AND SEARCHED FOR DONOR RECIPIENT STORIES...I HAD THE INCREDIBLE NEED TO SEE HOW PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELVES FEEL, AND I FELT SO USELESS TO DISCOVER HOW IGNORANT I WAS TO PEOPLE WAITING FOR TRANSPLANTS, THE PAIN AND AGONY THEY GO THROUGH...ALL I COULD DO WAS FEEL FOR THEM, WELL, NOT NOW...I HAVE REGISTERED WITH ORGAN DONATION CANADA AS A VOLUNTEER AND HAVE DONE MY FIRST ASSIGNMENT SPEAKING TO A VICTIM SERVICE UNIT. I WALKED AWAY FROM THERE, FEELING VERY PROUD OF MYSELF KNOWING THAT SOMEHOW SOMEWAY I WAS DOING SOMETHING FOR THE WORLD! SECONDLY, I WENT TO DISNEY WORLD JULY OF 2001 WITH MY GRAND DAUGHTER, GOD DAUGHTER AND MY GRAND DAUGHTERS OTHER GRAND MOTHER. THE THREE OF THEM WENT ON A SEPARATE AIR PLANE THAN I DID BECAUSE I BOUGHT MY TICKET WITH AIR MILES AND WE MET IN FLORIDA. WELL, TO MY INCREDIBLE SURPRISE, THE PASSENGER WHO SAT BESIDE ME ON THIS FLIGHT WAS A YOUNG GIRL, 12 YEARS OF AGE, WHO WAS ALSO WAITING FOR A HEART/DBL LUNG TRANSPLANT...IS THAT NOT A MESSAGE FROM GOD? AND TO MY SURPRISE HER NAME IS "GEMMA" THIS BLEW MY MIND BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE CALL MICHAELS DAUGHTER GEM, THOSE ARE HER INITIALS, GABRIELLE EMMA-MARIE. THIRDLY...A VERY CLOSE FRIEND OF OURS PASSED AWAY IN OCTOBER OF 2001 FROM CANCER, WHICH BROUGHT US BACK TO THE FUNERAL HOME AGAIN WHERE MICHAEL WAS....I MET "CHARLIE" AGAIN, HE GAVE ME SUCH A BIG HUG...HE GOT HIS LIVER TRANSPLANT AND IS DOING VERY WELL!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE FIRST WEEK OF THIS YEAR,2002...I WAS SEARCHING THE NET AND DISCOVERED AN ARTICLE ABOUT A MAN WHO IS DOING A WALK ACROSS CANADA TO PROMOTE ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS...WELL, THIS MAN STARTED HIS WALK THE SAME DAY MY SON DIED! I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES! GEORGE MARCELLO, IS A LIVER RECIPIENT AND HE IS DOING A 769 DAY WALK ACROSS CANADA, WHICH MEANS HE IS STILL OUT THERE TODAY! I HAD TO E-MAIL GEORGE AND CONGRATULATE HIM ON WHAT HE WAS DOING, I SHARED WITH HIM THE CO-INCIDENCE OF THE DAY MY SON PASSED AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS LONG JOURNEY, AND HOW PROUD WE ARE TO SAY HE HAS HELPED 25 PEOPLE IN "GIVING THE GIFT OF LIFE". HE E-MAILED ME BACK AND ASKED IF HE COULD DEDICATE JUNE 20TH 2002, TO OUR SON, IN OUR HOME TOWN, HOW AMAZING! SO THE WALK IS ON, AND WE ARE ECSTATIC ABOUT IT, WE WILL GET TO CARRY AN OLYMPIC TORCH TO THE MAYOR OF OUR TOWN AND THERE WILL BE A PRESS AND MEDIA CONFERENCE...I HAVE ASKED "CHARLIE" AND OUR FAMILY DOCTOR IF THEY WOULD BE GUEST SPEAKERS AND I HAVE ALSO INVITED THE PARAMEDICS THAT SAVED MY SON SO THAT WE COULD HONOR THEM! I REALIZE THAT THIS IT NOT WHAT MOST DONOR FAMILIES EXPERIENCE, BUT I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM, WE KNOW IN OUR HEARTS THIS WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND JUST BEING PART OF THIS COMMUNITY IS OUR THANKS FROM THE LORD ABOVE NOT TO MENTION ALL THE OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS STILL HAPPENING EACH AND EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES SO WE CAN KEEP OUR SON ALIVE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!
GOD BLESS, DEBBIE BLAGOJEVIC Ontario, Canada
|
