Move that bus!
I am not one to normally watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Not because I don’t like the show, but because I cry so hard I can’t bring myself to watch it. So even though I wanted to see last Sunday’s episode featuring the Skaggs family whose young baby boy, Jhett, was saved because of a heart transplant, I kept avoiding it.
Ooops I missed it as I had family in town on Sunday night – well I can catch it online tomorrow. Oh darn, this episode wasn’t available yet on Monday morning. I can catch it Tuesday – nope, too tired to watch a show that night. Wednesday – oh I have a meeting….Thursday?? What? No specific conflict? Nothing to make up? So I halfheartedly typed www.abc.com to see if it was available. Yep, it’s out there and yep it’s streaming to my computer and yep, 2 minutes later I was crying like a baby.
Within moments of the opening, we hear that baby Jhett had been in cardiac arrest 6 times before receiving his life-saving heart. His family lost him six times!
He was basically waiting on his death bed until that miracle heart came to him. As Jhett’s mom puts it, “because someone gave their heart, he is still here today.” I don’t care how many times we hear that phrase at Donate Life, it never gets old. It still sends chills down your spine and makes you wonder in amazement at the hardships people have to endure and at the same time appreciate the generosity of perfect strangers.
We want to thank ABC for promoting the important message of registering to be a donor. Seeing the Donate Life registration and posters on the show makes us appreciate that the producers didn’t just create a show to make their viewers get sucked in and cry; they wanted the public to take action. Ty Pennington actually encouraged everyone to register on the Donate Life donor list.
One of the other organ recipients on the show said, “This is a celebration of my 10 years with a donated kidney and pancreas, but another family is feeling the sorrow all over again as they remember the loss of their 13 year old son. By making this thoughtful and caring decision to donate his organs, I have my life”.
So yes, I may have cried my eyes out once again, but I only had to avoid the pain of watching and feeling for these amazing people, I didn’t have to experience the true pain and joy of this gift of life.
Thank you to all of you who share so deeply with all of us so we can continue to promote and support this beautiful gift.
If you have some spare tissues, check it out for yourself at http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-home-edition/92244/254210/the-skaggs-family
