The last two years have been an incredible journey for myself and my now 14 year old daughter, Jade. In February of 2009, I was in need of a heart. I was given days to live and received a heart on my 59th birthday. I thank my donor family everyday. Since this is my first blog and we are just getting to know one another, I had a whole introduction planned. However, this past week, I went to the Donate Life Hollywood Inspire Awards.

Donate life is an organization that reaches out to encourage and educate people about organ donation. The Donate Life Hollywood Inspire awards honor positive organ donation storylines on TV and in film. They award writers and producers, who feature organ donation in a true, compassionate and very honest way.

A woman, whose name I will not say, we can call her Sam, presented one of the awards. Her story of courage and inspiration moved, both myself and my daughter, and we both decided to share this, as my first blog. Sam is from Ohio. She and her three lovely daughters lived in an old house in Shaker Heights. There was something wrong with the electrical wiring and the house caught on fire. Tragically, her three little girls, all under the age of ten, were in the house. By the time they were found, the older two had died. The youngest, not yet two, was kept alive by machines for two days. She was brain dead and her mother had to decide, during all her sorrow and grief, to donate her daughters organs. Her baby saved five other babies lives. Some years have passed and Sam has two new babies and is a very strong advocate for donate Life. Her strength and courage to go on and continue to live and be a strong example to us all, about being the best we can, touched my heart and soul, so deeply, I had to share it with you.

I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.

(Carl Jung)