A Final Gift

By Elinor Tatum | Word In Black (WIB) – Losing a loved one is a horrible ordeal. Losing a child can be even harder to reconcile. Last week, a friend and former colleague lost his 33-year-old son, a vibrant young man full of life and love, in a tragic accident.   When I talked to my friend shortly after the passing of his son, this grieving father said to me with a smile, “He was an organ donor. Four of his organs are being used to save other people.” Black people represent only 15% of& organ donors in the U.S., yet represent more than 23% of people on transplant waiting lists. My friend is a devout man, a God-fearing man. A man who believes in something much bigger than all of us. He took some solace in knowing that from his son’s death, 5 others may live. Five strangers, who may have been languishing on transplant lists for months or even years, will get a chance at a long and productive life because this young man checked a box on the back of his driver’s license.& While that act of generosity will never bring his son back, I think my friend...