Charlotte family gives others hope amid grief
CHARLOTTE — Pope Francis' visit to the United States has generated tremendous excitement and the momentum continues to build in anticipation of the arrival of His Holiness. From every corner of the country, including the Carolinas, Catholics and people of all faiths are inspired by the visit of Pope Francis and his support of organ, eye and tissue donation.
As he met with the Transplant Committee for the Council of Europe in Rome last year, the pope described the act of organ donation as a "testimony of love for our neighbor." In fact, all major religions support organ donation as an act of charity and love, the major tenets of Christianity.
Faith and hope also play an important role in the donation and transplantation process. Whether someone awaits a life-saving transplant or has donated a loved one's organs – all have faith in something greater than themselves.
Ed Maciejewski of Charlotte found this to be true when he honored his wife Marcy's wishes to donate her organs six years ago. Marcy, a registered nurse, sustained a critical brain injury in a car accident in 2009. She had been an advocate of organ donation since her youth.
"Marcy inherited the value of organ donation from her mom," Maciejewski explains. "When Marcy was a little girl, her mom suffered a serious eye injury. During her recovery in the ward, she saw several children who had lost their vision. From that point she never wanted to take anything with her that anyone else could use, especially her eyes. For as long as I knew Marcy, she was always adamant about being a donor and made her wishes clear to me time and time again."
Two years after Marcy's passing, Maciejewski met the two women who received Marcy's kidneys, who as Divine Providence would have it, had been receiving treatment in the same medical facility at the time. Marcy had been helping patients just like them at the clinic where she worked.
"They fondly call Marcy their 'kidney sister,' and for me it adds some closure in a tragedy that ended with sudden death... Seeing Abbie and Jeunita – eating with their families, reading their Facebook posts – is seeing Marcy continuing to live and literally making a difference in people's lives.
"I see Marcy continuing to reach people due to her tenets of being a donor. I also find comfort in opportunities I've had to share her message, hoping more families will understand the gift and importance of donation. For these reasons I will continue to be a mouthpiece for her and pick up where she left off."
Maciejewski now organizes an annual golf tournament to support the Marsha Nash Maciejewski Scholarship Foundation. He also dedicated an eagle observation shelter at the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville and adopted a highway in front of Marcy's former workplace in Monroe.
Today, there are more than 122,000 people nationwide whose lives depend on the kindness of strangers to make the choice to Donate Life. Sadly, 22 of these individuals die on average each day because the organs they need are not donated in time. That is exactly why organ donation is so important.
A recent poll stated that nine out of 10 Catholics are in favor of Pope Francis and his teachings. In honor of the pope's powerful message of charity and love, LifeShare Of The Carolinas urges Catholics who have not yet registered as an organ, eye and tissue donor to do so.
"I told LifeShare that she did the hard part of being a donor, so now I'm holding up my end by telling her story and advocating such a noble, sensible and responsible cause," Maciejewski says.
— LifeShare Of The Carolinas. SueAnn Howell, senior reporter, contributed.
About Lifeshare
LifeShare Of The Carolinas is the regional organ procurement organization that serves a 23-county region throughout southwestern North Carolina. The organization is the bridge between people who need transplants and the donors who make those transplants possible. In addition to facilitating organ transplants, LifeShare also operates an eye bank and recovers tissue for transplants.
LifeShare will join the rest of the country in observing the National Donor Sabbath on Nov. 15, 2015. It is an annual interfaith celebration designed to dispel the misconception that donation is not consistent with religious beliefs. Parishes that would like to learn more information or to receive materials can contact LifeShare at 704-512-3303.
Registering as an organ donor is easy: sign up at the DMV or visit www.loveforneighbor.org. For more information about organ donation, visit www.LifeshareCarolinas.org.