Caveat: I am not a medical professional; these are my opinions, after research.

How would you feel about saving someone’s life? Of course, you would save a family member or friend, but a stranger??? Are you an organ donor? It’s something to think about…your wishes, your family’s knowledge. If you are a donor, it will show on your driver’s license with a D or a heart symbol. Approximately 2,000 people die in car crashes in Georgia annually. If all of those 2,000 people were organ donors, they might save 16,000 lives! One donor can save up to eight lives, and help over 75 people with tissue donations (cornea, skin, bone, etc.)  I know of a few people with donor bone, and MANY with organs! Of course, dear reader, I pray that will never happen to you or to me! But I AM a donor.

Recently I read a story which brought me to tears (still does). In 2000, 24-year-old Sacramento police officer, Sgt. Joe Chairez told his dad, “If anything happens to me in the line of duty, I want you to donate my organs.” Dad replied “Nope, not gonna happen.” Five months later Joe collapsed with a burst brain aneurysm. In the hospital, brain dead, he had basically no chance of survival. His father, Jess, asked God, “What do I do?” and made a split-second decision; his family tearfully agreed to donate Joe’s organs after his sudden death. Joe was a registered donor; that day he saved four lives. His family had hesitated, as Hispanics were not often donors. It had been 10 years since a Hispanic had donated. Jess said, “I want everybody to be like Joe and hopefully sign up to become an organ donor.” The parents travel the country advocating for the ‘gift of life’.  Jess proclaimed  “I’m here to honor God, honor my son, and honor all mankind. And it just makes me feel good in my heart knowing that Joe had something to do with that.” They got to meet the recipient of their son’s heart five years later. “My wife and I put our heads on this man’s chest and heard our son’s heart beating again, it was unbelievable.”

  On Nov.1, 2025, Dylan Skalina was a 12-year-old boy in Arizona, who tragically died of a sudden brain aneurysm. His family decided to donate his organs, which ultimately helps 300 people: honoring his spirit, with his pancreas going to type 1 diabetes research. His story highlights the profound impact of organ donation, when a family in grieving pain chooses to turn their personal tragedy into the ‘gift of life’ for many others.

There are many myths and misconceptions about donation. The doctors WILL try to save you and only approach the donation topic when there is no chance of recovery. You are never too old either, as I read that a 90-year-old provided a liver to someone. It does NOT cost to donate; the recipient incurs the medical costs. Currently over 108,000 Americans are on a wait list for an organ, the kidneys being the ‘most wanted.’ Every day 17 people die while waiting. Jets football legend Nick Mangold, age 41, died in Oct. 2025, awaiting a kidney. His death brings more awareness to donating. A new name is added to the list every 9-10 minutes. The late, great Covington Rotarian Doug Bolton donated a kidney to a stranger in need. The ‘top’ wanted organs are heart, liver, kidney, intestine, lungs, pancreas. The age range of people needing organs is 50-74, yet thousands of children are also on the list. The United Network for Organ Sharing  (UNOS) and Donate Life America are working to improve donor participation and improve the system.  Some people fear that organ donation goes against their religious beliefs, but today, most major religions acknowledge the fact that it is the greatest gift you can give as you leave this earth. Organ donation is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, as of course, it was not possible then, yet it is considered a selfless act of charity and love.

Many celebrities have had transplanted organs: Steve Jobs, Selena Gomez, Sarah Hyland, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Dick Cheney, Tina Turner, Tracy Morgan, Larry Hagman, George Lopez. (But they did NOT receive celebrity treatment). I remember the first heart transplant by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967 for a man named Louis Washkansky. My brother Gene was nine years old at the time, but it was on the news NONstop. We were in the kitchen one day; he had a large red water balloon, was squeezing it, releasing, squeezing it similar to a heartbeat. He exclaimed “Look, its Louis Washkansky!” Exactly 40 years later, that same brother was a transplant recipient: kidney, pancreas, and Thank God, is still with us. 18 years ago, his transplant was at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. I remember visiting him on the transplant floor, after I went through a ‘cleaning’ chamber of sorts, then to his room, all hooked up to machines. I asked, “Do you know who your donor was?” “ Was it a man or a woman?” “All of a sudden do you like pink ruffles?” No answers. I walked the hall peeking into a few rooms, seeing patients resting in bed... wondering…did you get a heart? Did you get a liver? Did you get a kidney? And were they all from the same donor?? 

Carol Veliotis is a local columnist for The Covington News. She can be reached at carol.veliotis@gmail.com.