To The Organ Donor Who Will Save My Life

To The Person Who Will Save My Life,

I don’t know you. I don’t know your name. I don’t know what you did for living. I don’t know if you were nice or mean, shy or outgoing. I know absolutely nothing. The only thing I do know is that you were my blood type and close to my body type. I know that you died. I know that you saved my life, and for that, I could never thank you enough.

I have been sick my whole life. I moved half way across the world to get a second chance, leaving everything behind. I was given three days to live and if I made it past those three days, there would be nothing of me. I would just be a body nothing else. However, I came to prove everyone wrong I made it 19 years. The day the house phone would ring and it would be the hospital saying, “We have potential organs; please come as soon as you can.” Many of the times they were not right, something was off or I was too sick to accept. Not this time – it was a match.

SEE ALSO: Reasons Not To Be An Organ Donor

Even though I don’t know you -- I know you. It is my responsibility to give you the life you were never able to continue with. It is my responsibility to continue your legacy. When someone asks about the scar that consumes my torso, I am going to tell them all about you. I want everyone to know what an amazing person you were. You have saved my life and the least I can do is give you the life that you deserved.

I know nothing, but I love you. I love you so much. I am sorry, I am sorry this happened to you. I am sorry you are leaving behind a family and friends. I am sorry that they couldn’t save you. I am sorry that you can’t enjoy a day at the pool or listen to thunderstorms on summer nights. I am sorry you didn’t get to say "goodbye" before this happened. I am sorry that you missed out on the rest of your life. Mostly – I am sorry that I will never get to say thank you or how much you mean to me.

Instead I’ll say it here. I hope you may be watching me as I write this, or maybe your loved one will stumble across it.

Thank you. You saved my life. You saved mine, and you may have saved others as well. It was all because of you that I get to live again, sure the doctors did the surgery, but you gave them the reason to do it. Thank you for being an organ donor. Thank you for giving me another day with my family and friends. Thank you for letting me live. Thank you for this gift of life.

As humans, we all want to be a hero. We have a natural instinct in us that wants to help others. Only 2 percent of all deaths in the U.S are eligible to become organ donors, and you got to do that. You are a hero. I am alive because of you and nothing will every express how thankful I am.

To many, it may be strange that I think about you. Everything that I do comes with your life in thought. An individual that once walked this Earth is now inside of me giving me the life that I needed. I think about your family every day when I hug mine, and I cherish those moments a little extra. I think about the life you never got to finish when I am out with my friends. But mostly, I thank God every day for sending you my way every time I look in the mirror.

I thought I might get one more chance.
What would you think of me now,
So lucky, so strong, so proud? – Jimmy Eat World

Life was hard until you came. There were days where I wrote down all the things I wanted everyone to know just incase I never told them. Days where I wondered if the phone will ever ring, or days where I didn’t know if I would make it through school. Was I going to be alive to have kids and start a family? I was so sick, and now, I’m all better. It was a beautiful moment, an unreal feeling and miracle all because of you.

I will never know your name and the chances of me finding out are not existent as Donate Life keeps them tucked away forever. However – I do promise to give you the life you never got to finish. I will take you to place you may have never went and leave a little bit of us everywhere we go.

Thank you for being an organ donor. I close my eyes at night and thank God for you and your family. I hope they find peace knowing I am giving you the best life that I can. My only request is when I get to Heaven that you will guide me in and tell me all about yourself.

Rest in peace my hero.

Love always,

A life You Saved