Blog for a cause

Got a message yesterday in my BlogCatalog shoutbox about making blog history today. In this discussion, members were called to blog about organ donations and the issues surrounding it. I thought it's a great idea using the power of the many to encourage social awareness and change. And the cause hits close to home. Although no one in my family has undergone a transplant of any kind yet, our family medical history is screaming all possible warning signs. I had a grandmother who had a kidney failure; regular blood dialysis prolonged her life for a few years but her body suffered with pain after every treatment. My uncle who is diabetic has also been undergoing dialysis for several years now. His diabetes brought complications to his kidneys and vision, so aside from his kidney problems, he has also lost his sight. Although there has been discussions before about him undergoing kidney transplant, I'm not sure why it didn't push through (probably for lack of a donor). Finally, my younger sister whom I love very much, has also been diagnosed with diabetes. We didn't even know it until after my mother noticed that my sister's eye has a cataract (my sister has mental retardation so she wasn't able to tell us that there was something wrong with her vision). We decided to have her eyes operated on but when her test results came out to find out if she is fit for an eye surgery, that's when we found out that she has diabetes. We couldn't push through with the operation because her wounds might not heal. The need to normalize her blood sugar levels became the first priority so she was administered with insulin shots twice a day. Now she has started gaining her old weight back, which is a good sign because this means that her blood sugar levels are normalizing. I just hope that her recovery will continue so that she won't suffer the complications that my uncle is going through.

As for myself, I'm not sure if I can answer when a call to be an organ donor beckons. I haven't even experienced donating blood yet. But I guess, if it's a member of my family who would need an organ transplant and I can help, then I would not be thinking twice. I don't have any qualms either about becoming an organ donor in the event of my death. I'm just not sure if I have already signed my "be an organ donor" card. Guess I have to find it, sign it and keep it in my wallet at all times.

To cap my post, here's a music video of Because I'm a girl by the Korean band, Kiss. Have the tissue box ready (with tissue in it, of course) and watch until the end to see why this video always makes me cry.