PUTTING OTHERS ABOVE YOURSELF, IN DEATH

photo: our dear friend Lucia Quinney Mee with her hero, most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps

(This is my Thought for the Day on Good Morning Ulster on September 11, 2020...)

 

These days… It seems that every day… is some kinda day… Today is National Make Your Bed Day… once a year seems fair enough to me… Tomorrow is National Chocolate Milkshake Day…Wednesday was apparently Buy A Priest A Beer Day. Most of my close priest friends are tee total but hey…

Then there are special weeks like Fair Trade Fortnight or Good Relations Week which I think is actually next week. All good ways to remember important things. 

This week is Organ Donation Week and that is very important in our family. In May we lost our dear friend, and organ recipient, Lucia Quinney Mee just short of her 21st birthday. 

Over the summer we have poured over photographs and old videos and shared stories of amazing memories of summer days and New Year’s Eves in Ballycastle, of pop concerts, funny hair days, Lucia’s swimming achievements at the British and World Transplant Games and setting up the organisation Live Loudly Donate Proudly to get loved ones to talk about their wishes for their organs after they die.

Lucia’s own liver failed her when she was only 8 years of age and she, in the end, received four livers.

As we have attempted in these past few months, not very well, to take the edge of our grief I became even more thankful to the donor families who gave us those extra 12 extra years of memories and allowed Lucia to live a very full young life.

Jesus said Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

The apostle Paul followed up on this by telling Jesus followers to see other people above themselves.

It is unlikely that I will ever have to give up my life for others, like Jesus did for the world, BUT what I am determined to do is make sure that in my death I put others above myself. 

Whatever of my organs can be donated I want surgeons to use. If I could give someone those extra years and memories that donors gave Lucia and her family. Wow. That would be something.