What Do You Think About Donation?
Organ and tissue donation – what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Life Is a Circle
“It’s important that if we want our community to survive, that we be part in helping people live. Organ donation is a way of helping people live.”
If Donation Was Alive
If donation was alive, what would she look like? Donor mom Hawona Sullivan Janzen answers this question.
The Story of Clarence
Name
Description
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Turn Tragedy Into a Positive
Thomas Wyatt, MD
Loyal Shawnee & Quapaw Tribe
I am an emergency physician.
I practice emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center and I am a registered member of the Shawnee and Quapaw tribes of Oklahoma. I grew up in Oklahoma and my American Indian family are all from Oklahoma. There are so many things that make me proud to be an American Indian. I think it all goes back to family and the strong sense of community. It’s very common for Native Americans to not only look out for and take care of their own family but also members of the community.
There are traditions that are followed in my tribes and whenever somebody dies there are certain ceremonies and rituals that have to take place. The overwhelming theme is that everyone comes together to honor the person who just died and to wish them well on their journey into the spirit world. There is a belief which I think is fairly common in most American Indian tribes that whenever you leave this world and enter into the spirit world that you will join the other members of your family and your friends that have also passed on. They will be there to welcome you and take care of your during your journey in the spirit world.
In my line of work and my role as an emergency physician it’s very common for me to see people on the worst day of their lives. Myself and my colleagues witness a lot of tragedy, but my beliefs comfort me. You came from the earth and so the belief is that you go back into the earth and again you enter into your next journey. I often hear the question, “is there anything else that could have been done?” Medically speaking, most of the time there was not, but I always think about what it would mean for that family to know that organ donation is something that can turn a tragedy into something very positive – not just for one other person but perhaps for many people.
It’s shocking to learn the actual numbers of how many American Indians are on waiting lists for organs and transplants. To me that just means that certain diseases are much more prevalent in the Indian community than they are in the rest of population. I also don’t think that there is a lot of information out there for American Indian communities. There may be some fear and confusion when families are approached about organ donation. There can also be some cultural barriers.
Providing the American Indian community with more information about organ donation would give them the tools to make a choice. It’s a very important concept that largely has not been talked about in the American Indian community. Talk Donation could lead more American Indians to incorporate donation into their culture and their community so that they can impact more lives.
My name is Dr. Thomas Wyatt and I made the choice to be a donor.
The Most Beautiful Gift You Can Give
Patina Park
Cheyenne River Sioux
I am proud to be Native American because it’s who I am.
It’s the essence and the core of everything I feel, believe, and experience. It sets up my world view, how I react, communicate, and connect with everyone across the world. It grounds me in the very soil we stand on. I know that for generations my ancestors have been here and the fact that I’m still here and my children are here despite everything that we’ve gone through as a people really makes me proud to say that I exist, I’m healthy, I’m happy, and I’m very proud to be a Lakota.
Lakota culture means to be honest and humble and to recognize everyone in their humanity and as my relative on this planet. I try very hard to do my best everyday and realize that I am part of a greater whole and that together we’re stronger. Those values ground me, my family, and my community. They help me make decisions everyday and remind me to be who I am instead of what other people think I should be.
We talk about the great spirit or the great energy that connects us all and I believe that exists. Time and existence is not a straight line, but more of a kaleidoscope of interactions. So for me death is just another state of being. It’s not a location. My mother passed away recently and I believe she is still here with me and will continue to be with me and my children. She’s just in another state of being. Death is not an ending at all in my mind, my heart, or my soul. It’s just a new existence that we should not be afraid of.
My belief about dying is that once my spirit moves onto the next plane I don’t need my body anymore and if someone else could benefit from what I leave behind I would want them to have that opportunity. I made the decision at a very young age to be a donor and I told my parents about it so that they would know if something were to happen to me. I truly believe that we’re all relatives and why wouldn’t I give something to help my relative.
Donation is something that my husband and I have talked about. We have it in our health care directive so there’s no question from family or friends about what to do. I think everyone should have a conversation about donation with their loved ones and don’t just assume people know what you want for when you pass on.
Learning that there are 62 Native Americans waiting for a tissue or transplant of some sort makes me want to get tested and see if I’d be a match if they are needing something from a living donor. It also really emphasizes the need to have these conversations throughout our community. I know there are some spiritual beliefs where the body needs to remain whole and I respect that completely, but for those who don’t share those beliefs or would consider being a donor it’s something that I don’t think we talk about enough. It’s something that we should discuss with both our young and our elders so that those 62 people can meet and find a match and continue living.
When I think about organ and tissue donation it really just makes me think what a beautiful gift that is – particularly for someone who has passed on to continue their presence by helping someone else live longer or live a better life. That’s really a beautiful thing.
Donor. Recipient. Leader. Son.
Cassandra Holmes
Mother of Trinidad Flores
Trinidad Flores was a leader. Little He played football, baseball and basketball. If there was a program in the community, Trinidad was involved. He circulated a petition to save the community’s Ojibwe language class. He was a role model, a friend, a brother.
“He was 14 years old when we found out that he had a heart condition,” says his mother, Cassandra Holmes “And no one knew, not even the doctors.” Cassandra and her family learned that Trinidad would need a heart transplant to survive.
Trinidad’s story is unique, but the need for a lifesaving transplant is not. It could happen to anyone and it affects all communities. Right now, in Minnesota’s American Indian community there are 60 men, women, and children waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Which brings us back to Trinidad.
At just 14 years old, Trinidad told his mom that if anything happened to him, he wanted to help others through donation. When he received his driver’s license at 16, he registered to be a donor.
For two years, Trinidad was in and out of the hospital, waiting for his transplant. “None of us knew anyone that needed a heart transplant, so we started as a family to educate ourselves more and we prayed a lot as a family.” Then, a generously donated heart was a match for Trinidad.
“The day of Trinidad’s heart transplant surgery, he was the one comforting everybody. As he was going in for surgery he gave everybody the heart signal with his hands. Then he went in to get his new heart.”
Shortly after receiving his desperately needed heart transplant, Trinidad suffered a life-ending stroke. Once again, he had the opportunity to be a leader.
“I remember LifeSource coming to talk to us after my son’s passing, I remember the kindness and that they didn’t jump right in to talk about organ donation. They asked us how they could help us, be there for us, and sharing our sadness. They gently reminded us that Trinidad had wanted to be an organ donor. They gave us privacy as a family to talk about it. When you’re going through that kind of grief, you need that reminder that, he made a choice to help others.”
Cassandra protected his donation decision and Trinidad gave the precious gifts of his kidneys and liver to save the lives of two people.
“Trinidad passed away with his heart and his donor’s heart. We were sad to lose Trinidad but thankful that someone offered the opportunity for my son to live by giving up their loved one’s heart. As Native Americans, we felt like we needed to honor that person and take care of that person’s gift. So, they did Mide ceremonies for both hearts out of respect to Trinidad and the person who donated their heart.”
Trinidad passed away four years ago, and looking back on the experience now Cassandra notes how important love and community are in her Native culture. “It doesn’t matter if you were born in the city or on the reservation, we’re here to help each other out and be there for each other.”
This editorial was recently featured in The Circle
The Dance of Donation
Aleks Kukk
Ojibway
My name is Aleks and I am a part of the Ojibway Nation. My Ojibway name is Evening Day Star.
I’m proud to be an American Indian and take part in our tradition of dance. I like to dance because it helps me relax, makes me feel good, and keeps me fit. When we dance, we dance because we’re happy.
I used to have a lot of issues with my back. It was painful and I would need to sit or limp. When I was 14 I had a back surgery and received a tissue donation that helped with my recovery. The tissue transplant helped me grow, stand up right, and my back didn’t hurt anymore. Because of that donation I am able to walk, breathe, dance, and play sports much better. I couldn’t play sports when I didn’t have the tissue transplant, but now I play soccer, I’ve lettered in floor hockey and was rookie of the year in softball.
Some of the most important aspects of American Indian culture are family and community. When I think about organ and tissue donation, the first thing that comes to mind is helping others. When people are sick or in need, donation is a way to be kind and helpful. I am thankful for my tissue transplant and hope that more people make the choice to be a donor.