One door closing...another opens

I am starting a new job. This is very exciting for me as I have never felt like being a nurse in the ICU fit just right. My new job comes with

a fancy title (which is very important in this day and age). I will be the "donation consultant and in-house coordinator for Donor Alliance in Southern Colorado." Donor Alliance is the organ and tissue donation company here in Colorado and Wyoming. Their main office is based out of Denver so I am very lucky to have gotten this position in the Springs.

Why donation you ask? Well I believe my interest started in middle school when I began reading fiction novels about teens that had life threatening illnesses such as Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis or that needed organ transplants. I remember being very interested in all of this. Then there were the frequent conversations with my mom about organ donation. These specifically occurred when a motorcycle whizzed past us with a rider that was not wearing a helmet. My mom would always say "there goes the next organ donor!" We would then talk about how she would like to be an organ donor if she died because it gives life to someone that would otherwise die. As I have worked in the ICU, I have come across many situations in which people have been declared brain dead. Every instance is terribly tragic. However, organ donation is the positive choice that families have in the midst of a horrible situation in which they have NO CHOICE. The topic has become sort of a passion for me.

Working for this organization is exciting to me because of the hope that donation offers. Hope for those waiting for organs to live. Hope for families that have instantly lost their loved one and now have the opportunity to have their legacy live on in the life of another. One organ donor can potentially effect nine people's lives. Tissue donation can potentially effect over 100 people's lives. Are you an organ donor? You can register at http://www.coloradodonorregistry.org/