Stephanie Tubbs Jones, as organ donor, helps dozens

[Sheets of Easter]

<snip>

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones' legacy will extend beyond politics and policies.
Tubbs Jones - who devoted her life to helping everyday Ohioans - wanted her organs and tissues donated after her death. On Wednesday, she became one of the expected 100 donors in Northeast Ohio this year.

"Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones' action . . . has given hope to the nearly 100,000 women, children and men who are waiting for organ transplants nationwide," LifeBanc spokesman Chuck Heald said in a statement. "The congresswoman was an advocate for health when she was living, and her legacy of life continues through organ and tissue donation."

As many as 58 people benefit from her gift.

read more:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/stephanie_tubbs_jones_as_organ.html


Amazing. Even in death, she manages to help others.

I can't emphasize how important organ donation is. As a transplant recipient, I speak from experience. Even though it was just a cornea, it greatly improved my quality of life. I can only imagine how someone in need of a more vital organ may benefit.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. *sniffling* What a tremendous lady she was

[FrenchieCat]

2. Helping even after leaving.

that's grand.

She will be missed.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. K & R !!!

:yourock:

[babylonsister]

4. I figured that's what the delay was about; we should all think about doing this.

This is wonderful of her; as generous in death as she was in life, from what I've heard.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

5. Her smile could light up a room.

God bless her.

[bdamomma]

6. what a wonderful woman

sniff sniff also.

organ donation giving life to others.

[bluestateguy]

7. She was just terrific

nt

[liberalhistorian]

8. That's certainly

the way the lady was, giving, caring, compassionate. She will live on for a long time to come. I remember her grace and class when her husband died suddenly and unexpectedly several years ago, even when her political enemies tried to make some hay out of that, disgusting as they were.

[renate]

9. that's lovely

Not surprising given the kind of person she was, but lovely. What a beautiful soul. :loveya:

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Only 100 donors in Northeast Ohio?

Never mind, I just read the linked article. The standard for being able to excercise your donor card is pretty strict.

[Sheets of Easter]

11. Northeast Ohio has roughly 2 million inhabitants.

I too was shocked by the low numbers.

Then again, there are a lot of myths and ignorance about organ donation, which might lead some people to opt out. Also, you need to factor in the specimens that may not be healthy enough for transplant. Still, 100 is a very low number.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. It seems Ohio has very strict standards

Overly strict, in my opinion: the person must basically die in a hospital while hooked up to life support.

[Sheets of Easter]

17. Makes sense. The only thing I know about my donor,

is that they were from out of state. My cornea arrived at the eleventh hour before my surgery.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

12. K&R.

[TwilightGardener]

13. I figured that the confusion around her death might have had to do

with the process of organ donation. Because of the way she died, she was a prime candidate for being a donor--God bless her, she continued to give to her community even in her death. So few people donate--good on her family, too, for honoring her wishes.

[undeterred]

14. Nice reminder of the generosity of organ donation.

Generous in life and in death. :patriot:

[Skarbrowe]

15. Wonderful, constantly giving woman right until the end. nt

[Cleita]

18. Even though I'm in my late sixties, I am an organ donor.

I found out that older people can be donors for other old people. While the younger organs might go to young people and older people may get left behind, an elderly person can donate a healthy organ to another elderly person who might not get a kidney or heart or other organ otherwise.

[bean fidhleir]

22. That's nice to know, Cleita. I'm a scheduled donor too, and at 68 was wondering

whether they'll even want any bits off my corpse when I finally go. It's nice to know that even our bods aren't just going to be tossed onto the midden.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. Wow. So she will, in effect, keep on living thru all those that will have benefitted from her gifts.

[Parche]

20. God Bless Her

A True Hero
:cry: :cry: :cry: :patriot: :hi:

[Hidden Stillness]

21. A Terrible Loss; a Wonderful Gesture and Gift

This is very sad, and very beautiful, and shows yet again how Stephanie Tubbs-Jones was always aware of the larger concerns, beyond the immediate. It was so much better that this was already documented as a wish of hers, so the organs and tissues can be gotten quickly, (they deteriorate), and the traumatized and grieving family doesn't have to be hit with this, and have to decide what she might have wanted. You have to be young and healthy enough to do it--I think the cuttoff is around 70, and diabetics, for example, can't, because their blood, tissues, organs, actually transmit diabetes, and give it to the donor. Older people, (for example an uncle) can still donate their bodies to scientific research, or as with my Mom, we donated her glasses, which went to someone who could never have afforded prescription glasses. It is painful and upsetting to think about, but the fact that she did think about it, and did it, is very (sadly) touching.

I heard the news that afternoon, that something was wrong with her driving and she seemed to be unconscious, (I thought it was a stroke), and already, from the very start, they were calling it "grim." A very sad loss.

[Hekate]

23. What a wonderful woman. I signed up to be a donor in the 1970s, & hope someday to help others...

... as she has done.

Hekate

[PeaceNikki]

24. Thank you for the reminder of how important organ donation is.

And another example of what a fine lady she was.

K&R

[SoCalDem]

25. My best friend donated her son's organs.

a 45 year old Dad with 4 kids got a 24 yr old, healthy heart..
and two people got a kidney..

My friend could not bring herself to meet the donors, but i don't think she regretted it..

[qanda]

26. She was an amazing woman

She will be missed.

[wicket]

27. She was an amazing woman

Rest in peace. :loveya:

[Wilms]

28. K&R n/t