I came across this article about organ donation written by a mother who found the donation of her sons organ’s as a means of healing and to celebrate the life of her son. I was touched by it, and thought that it should be shared with others. I am re-printing it here.

“My name is Tricia Rickets. I am a donor mom. I live in Versailles, Kentucky with my husband, John. I am honored to be able to share with you my story and how organ donation has changed my life and the lives of others.

I would like to start by telling you about someone who is dear to my heart and whom I miss more every day. Someone who was full of dreams and possibilities; he had the charm and personality to befriend anyone; no matter the age, gender, or ethnic background. He was a son, grandson, bother, uncle an friend. He is my son, and his name is Ryan Scott Wilson Wright.

Our story begins May 2, 2008 with an early morning phone call and visit from a police officer who told me Ryan had been shot. We arrived at the hospital and were told the news of Ryan’s condition and that he would quickly continue to deteriorate to brain death. Ryan’s life slipped away early that afternoon.

Many questions began in my head. What could I do to change the course this one phone call had put us on? How can I take the tragedy and turn it into something positive? How could Ryan’s death impact this life; how could I give my 25 year old son a legacy that would speak volumes of who he was? And so our ripple begins with th decision for Ryan to become an organ donor. Our decision was based upon Ryan; his love and generosity.

I look at organ donation as a ripple like a stone thrown into a pond. Ryan’s ‘Gift of Life’ has rippled into the lives of others; his organ recipients, his family, his friends, complete strangers who make the decision to sign the Organ Donor Registry at the DMV due to Ryan’s poster on the wall. Ryan’s organ donation is healing for me. It allows me to celebrate his life and to share his story without focusing on the tragedy of his death.

The Gift of Life…it’s healing, it’s a choice, it’s a decision, it’s a second chance, it’s a legacy… it’s my Ryan’s legacy. His legacy lives on in his recipients; one of hope, life, love, and second chances! Tragedy into triumph! How far will Ryan’s ripple go? It will go on forever until the  need for organ donation is gone.”

This article was re-printed with permission. It was published in the April 2012 issue of Funeral Home and Cemetery News, published by Nomis Publications. It was posted in the column written by Christopher Kuhnen.