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Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I wanted to blog about something that I experienced in the wee hours of this morning that isn't pet-related but an amazing experience nonetheless: an organ harvest.  As part of my surgical rotation, I can volunteer to be part of the team that "harvests" or retrieves organs from patients.  Because I was going to be in town during the long weekend, I put my name on the list to be called and sure enough yesterday a call came about a liver and kidneys available.  I was to meet the surgeon at one of the local hospitals at 2am this morning.

I managed to sleep about an hour before taking off.  I could tell Ruby and Amie were thoroughly confused as to why we only slept for such a short time but we did our usual weekday morning routine: go outside to pee then get them comfortable on the couch before I left.  Only this time it was 1am.  They were troopers and probably fell back to sleep immediately.

I didn't get much information on the patient aside from she was 44 and had been declared braindead because of a brain hemorrage.  I was nervous.  Would I become too emotional once we started?  Would I freeze up and not be able to participate?  To my surprise, I was calm and felt overwhelming gratitude for this woman and her family.  I hope their anguish can be made less profound knowing the enormous gift they are providing for other families who will be forever grateful.  Forever changed by their courage to give someone else a chance at life. 

The entire procedure from start to finish took less than two hours.  The surgeon left and I closed up the long incision then bandaged it.  Afterward, the scrub nurse and ICU nurse helped clean her up.  We took all the tubes and lines out.  I think we were all aware, in our own way, of the need for treating her body with dignity.  Her life ended but she's providing life for others through her organs.  I hope she somehow knows this. 

I was home by 5am and took the girls out for a very quiet, peaceful walk.