Heros

Marvel, DC Comics, and Hollywood have given us the archetype, but as we all know, not all Heros can outrace speeding bullets and leap tall buildings. Heros walk among us every day, and they take on different forms to different people. A generation ago, our Heros marched onto beaches at Normandy and Iwo Jima. More recently, our Heros climbed the steps of the World Trade Center. For a ten yen old boy, his Heros toss a football or score a basket and then stick around to sign an autograph after the game.

The Heros that I want to talk about today exercise their powers in a way that is more sublime, and their talents and gifts are the compassion and selflessness that they exhibit as they give of themselves for the benefit of others.

Organ Donors give the gift of life. They are able to extend life beyond their death through donation and transplantation. There are eight vital organs that can be donated from a deceased donor as well as tissues such as eyes, skin, bones and blood vessels. Bone marrow and kidneys are available from living donors and since I shared my situation and asked for help back in February, many Heros have answered the call.

Federal privacy laws prohibit UAB from sharing the names of those who called in on my behalf for donor testing, but they have told me that the number of calls that they received for me has been “among the most that we have seen.” I am blessed with a great number of friends, family, and extended family who want to help, and I am eternally thankful.

Heros in their own right, the team at the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Clinic at UAB is among the best in the world at what they do. Their expertise and dedication to their craft has impacted the lives of thousands, becoming Heros in the eyes of many families, particularly mine.

One of my surgeons, Dr. Carlton Young, has published a book, Realizing Your Human Potential: A Christ Centered Approach to Life in which he marries his background as both a scientist and as a man of faith in an attempt to help the reader to understand how to fulfill his human potential. Thanks to his team’s efforts and my Heros’ willingness to donate a kidney, I will have the opportunity to live a full life and maximize my Human Potential.