LYNN — Mayor Thomas M. McGee and other elected officials raised a flag over Lynn City Hall Thursday morning to honor organ donors and encourage others to sign up to be donors.
“I made sure it was on my license, because it can make a difference to so many lives,” McGee said, holding up his driver’s license to show the red heart that marks him as an organ donor. “We can make a difference, and this is something that we all can do and change people’s lives.”
McGee, state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and state Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn) read proclamations recognizing April as National Donate Life Month.
Matt Boger, director of state relations for New England Donor Services, said at the ceremony that more than 108,000 people across the United States are on the waiting list for organs, including more than 6,000 in New England.
In Massachusetts, Boger said, only about half of people are registered as donors, and 98 percent of those registered do so at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
“This is not a healthcare decision,” Boger said. “This is saying, if there is a situation where I no longer need my organs, they can be used to save someone’s life.”
Lynn resident Carol Dullea told the story of her grandson Ethan, who was killed at just 11 months old by a falling tree branch during a 1999 family vacation. Ethan’s parents made the decision to donate his organs, and his liver and kidneys were given to people who needed them.
“In our pain, suddenly there was a feeling of peace as well,” Dullea said. “Immediately, it felt as if the sun came out with a beautiful rainbow in the middle of a terrible storm. Finally, something wonderful was going to come out of this terrible tragedy that we were living.”
Dullea said that she was proud that despite the painful loss of someone she loved, Ethan became the answer to another family’s prayers by saving lives.
“It doesn’t take away the pain, but it certainly softens the sorrow and offers a light in the darkness,” she said.
Elizabeth Swanson, a West Roxbury resident, also spoke, telling the story of how she donated her own kidney to help a cousin who had a genetic disorder. While she was unable to donate directly to her cousin because she was not the right blood type, she was able to participate in a paired donation, where she donated her kidney to someone else and her cousin received a donated kidney at the same time.
“It was so great to go and see him and see him a little more pink, a little more healthy, a little more vibrant than I had seen him in a long time with his new kidney that I was able to help get for him,” Swanson said. “It was an amazing experience.”
To learn more about organ donation or to register as a donor, visit registerme.org.
