CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – As part of National Donate Life Month, both organ donors and recipients are pushing for more people to become living donors.
Organ and tissue recovery service We Are Sharing Hope raised a flag Friday at 1:08 p.m. to symbolize how one donor can save the lives of eight individuals.
Amanda Graham of North Charleston’s mission is to do just that.
When Graham first heard her best friend’s son, Max, was diagnosed with liver cancer and was in need of a new liver, she jumped at the opportunity. The two were a perfect match. But after Max matched with others, their time never came.
She then went on to match with two more children, both of which never led to surgery.
But her surgery finally got a date when Graham got a call last December.
“On the day that Max passed away, I matched with Sylvia,” Graham said.
Sylvia is a 9-month-old from Tennessee who suffers from biliary atresia, a rare liver disease in infants. The only cure for it is to receive a new liver.
The two got to meet for the first time right before surgery.
“It was honestly just the most beautiful moment,” Graham said. “I’m going to cherish it forever.”
Graham says her liver donation was an invasive, nine-and-a-half-hour surgery, and she couldn’t have felt more prepared.
“It’s very, very low risk,” Graham said. “They do every test under the sun. You get the physical of a lifetime before you are even eligible to be able to donate your liver. So, by the time you get to the process and they say okay, it’s going to be fine.”
Now, she sits at five weeks post-op and has had a smooth recovery.
Gary Simmons of Summerville also had a successful recovery when he received a liver donation 12 years ago. He now runs a mentorship program called “TransplantTalk SC” that matches successful donors to those who are interested in doing the same.
“I want to give as many tools and resources to that person so they can then, on their own, do a lot of things with help from our mentors, but on an as needed basis,” Simmons said.
And they both agree that living donors are harder to find.
“It is an issue,” Simmons said. “But it can be overcome.”
“I’m hoping that it becomes less rare,” Graham said. “I’m hoping that more people see that it’s doable. And there’s no long-term effects. There’s no lasting harm. It’s a safe procedure. You can do it. You can help change somebody’s life.”
That life for her meant Sylvia.
“There’s a children’s book; a little boy walks along the beach and he’s throwing starfish back into the ocean, so they don’t dry out and die,” Graham said. “And a man comes along and says that ‘You’re never going to save them all.’ And he says, ‘No, but I can save this one.’ So, for me, Sylvia is my starfish. She’s my one. And it’s awesome to be able to help. It’s amazing. It feels good. I’m glad she’ll have her life to be healthy. ”
Graham says she strongly recommends that everyone do their own research on the process and become a part of the national donor registry. For guidance, she also joined multiple Facebook groups of others who went through the process to hear about their experiences.
Overall, she says everyone should consider saving a life too.
Click here for more information on how to become a part of the national donor registry through Donate Life America.
Click here to become or request a personal donor mentor through “TransplantTalk SC.”
Click here for more information on We Are Sharing Hope S.C.
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