Organ donors give locals new life

A group of nurses and doctors flooded a small room inside Terrebonne General Medical Centers’ Women’s Health Center. Their attention was drawn to a wooden podium at the front as Dr. Kenneth Jackson lowered his head in prayer.

The pastor, who leads New Rising Sun Baptist Church in Houma, recently assisted TGMC in writing grants to improve organ donation education throughout the community. His presence inside the room was accompanied by a handful of others who have been deeply affected by the issue.

One of those individuals is Rachel Doiron, whose sister Robyn became a life saving organ donor after a tragic car accident in 2004. She went out with friends but never returned.

Doiron’s gripping story echoed off the walls, while many in the audience struggled to fight back tears.

“Not only was she my little sister, she was also my best friend,” he said.

Both sisters were practically joined at the hip while growing up, attending elementary and high school together and taking even larger steps in life as time passed. When it was time to begin driving, “…we even went and took our driving test together,” she recalled.

During that time, a question that would unknowingly change their lives forever was asked: Do you want to be a donor?

“We were 15 years old at the time. At that age, it was something we really had no question about. It was something we wanted to do, but didn’t know what it really meant to donate your organs,” explained Doiron. “Now more than 20 years later, I never imagined I would find out firsthand.”

After being rushed to a local hospital, Robyn’s family was contacted. While the doctors worked tirelessly, their efforts were refuted as she fell brain dead. At that point, “…we knew we had some decisions to make,” said Doiron.

Robyn’s parents held onto her driver’s license, while a little red heart on the plastic card shined brightly. “We all knew this was something that she wanted,” Doiron continued. “Because of the kind and generous heart she had, she would want to help others in any way, especially if it meant saving lives and sparing pain to other families.”

Although the decision was difficult, it was followed closely by faith, something that remains strong in Doiron’s life today. “Although I miss my sister everyday and wish things could have been different, my faith carries me and I know God had a reason to call her home to be with him,” she said.

One life ended, yet another was saved. For many, Robyn’s sacrifice was not needless, as her heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver and body tissue were all donated.

“Imagine the lives she saved and the quality of life she was able to enhance for so many others,” said TGMC Chief Operating Officer Diane Yeates.

However, the gathering at TGMC was not just a time to recall the past, but to take action for the future. A flag was raised last Tuesday to honor the commitment TGMC made to the Donate Life Louisiana Hospital Campaign, which will help the facility bolster the number of state-wide donors from 200,000 to about 250,000.

Today, about 1,800 people in Louisiana are waiting for a transplant. One donor has the potential to save up to nine lives, restore sight for two people and enhance the lives of up to 50 through tissue donations.

“These staggering statistics certainly open our eyes and helps us see the importance of donations. Maybe we should stop thinking of organ and tissue donations as giving up a part of ourselves, but instead, as potentially a total stranger giving up almost all of themselves to keep our loved one alive”” touted Yeates.

To raise awareness about the issue, parish officials are also stepping in.

Arlanda Williams, Terrebonne Parish council chairwoman, read a proclamation declaring April as National Donate Life Month in Houma.

Williams is no stranger to the life-saving ability a donated organ has, as her father received a transplant after battling kidney failure for more than a year. “Today, my dad lives on. [And] my children can have a grandfather,” she said.

Since her father’s experience, Williams and her sisters have become donors.

Ramone Castle, a 27-year-old from New Orleans has also experienced the gift of organ donation, more than once. His war with Hepatitis caused him to need two liver transplants, which has changed his outlook on life forever.

“It’s helped me see things a lot clearer,” he said, sticking to a simple philosophy. “At the end of the day, when you look in the mirror, one question should come to mind: Have I done anything to help anybody? If not, then why?”

For Castle, donating gives people a second chance and hope that things will work out in the long run, because organs often come slowly, if at all.

He waited more than five years for his first transplant, while his second came after only five months, following the tragic death of his donor, Justin Doucet.

The 15-year-old, Doucet, shot himself in the head following a classroom confrontation at Larose-Cutoff Middle School last May.

Unfortunately, one of the most precious life-saving measures known to man involves an even greater enemy: death.

This month, officials will be continually urging residents to step forward and become donors.

Ramone Castle, a 27-year-old resident of New Orleans, wears a cross and picture on his chest remembering Justin Doucet. Castle received a life-saving liver donation after Doucet’s tragic death. * Photo by MICHAEL DAVIS