Save a life and register to be an organ donor

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - LifeLink of Georgia has launched their Be The Gift campaign and the way you can be the ultimate gift this season is by registering to be an organ donor.

“When I was really, really sick I thought my son was going to live without a mother. I thought that I was not going to see my son grow up,” says organ transplant recipient, Holly Sutherland.

Sutherland has experienced problems with her liver since the age of 21. 4 years ago, she had a bacterial infection in her liver that caused it to shut down completely.

“I had to have a liver transplant as soon as possible,” says Sutherland.

After six months of waiting on the transplant list, Sutherland was given a liver by a generous registered organ donor who decided to give the gift that keeps on living once we no longer are.

“What a precious gift that is, I mean there is no greater gift than the gift of life. I honor my donor everyday, by doing what I do and thinking about whoever and who he or she was,” says Sutherland.

Every day, 17 people pass away in the United States waiting for an organ. Currently, there are more 3,400 Georgians and 105,000 Americans on the transplant list.

LifeLink, a nonprofit organ procurement organization, is encouraging all Georgians to #BeTheGift and register to be an organ donor.

“One organ and tissue donor has the potential to impact and save up to 75 lives. You can sign up to be an organ and tissue donor in less than 2 minutes. It takes less time then it does to put stuff in your shopping cart online and check out. ,” says LifeLink public affairs manager, Tracy Ide.

While #BetheGift focuses on signing up to giving life after death as a deceased donor, you can also register to be a living donor.

News Leader 9 checked in on a pair of once strangers who are now lifelong friends after a huge sacrifice.

“I’ve been doing very well, I’ve been very blessed with this Kidney from Corbin,” says Lashonda Brown.

In 2018, the then 19 year-old, Corbin Simpson of Phenix City donated a kidney to Lashonda Brown, a school teacher at South Columbus Elementary.

Brown says what Simpson gave to her was another chance at life at a moment when she wanted to give up.

“There’s no way to repay a gift like that, I mean literally a second chance at life,” says Brown.

It’s been six months since the two have seen each other, Simpson says every step of the way in knowing Brown has been amazing.

“I was heartbroken in seeing what she was going through at so young and it’s just amazing to see all the things she doing now,” says Corbin. “The fact that she’s still here is great.”

The holidays is a good time to open up conversations about the power you have while living to save lives. If you do decide to be an organ or tissue donor, that’s a good time to let your loved ones know about your intentions.

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