Health Care Quarterly:

A young hero’s gift of life

Catherine Guillet’s daughter, Lauren, died at the age of 15. One of Lauren’s favorite sayings was, “God only picks the most beautiful flowers. We’re all a part of the garden, meant to be different and beautiful. In order for us to flourish, we have to get rid of the weeds.”

"Mommy if anything happens to me, you know I want to donate my organs right?”

That’s what my daughter, Lauren “Lola” Deschaine, said to me two weeks before she passed away from an aneurysm at the age of 15. Even if Lauren hadn’t told me her wishes, we would have donated her organs and tissue because she was such a giving person. That’s how she lived her life, selflessly thinking of others. Lauren donated both of her kidneys, saving the lives of two women, who also happened to be my age. I love that Lauren is living on, not just through her recipients, but through every recipient out there.

I miss my daughter. However, after her death she gave me a new purpose in life. I seize every opportunity I get to talk about what an honor it is to be a part of a donor family and help others understand what an incredible impact one person can have on others. At the Rose Parade, where Lauren was honored with a floragraph on the Donate Life Float, I met several mothers of transplant recipients. The seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months they spent hoping and praying that a stranger would gift their child with a chance to live is unimaginable. From a mother’s perspective, I would never want to go through something like that and I wouldn’t want any other parent to either.

The strength I gained from Lauren’s courage helped me to speak to one of my dearest friends about donation. She had recently lost her brother to a stroke, I gently asked her to consider: I know you are hurting. I know your grief. Your brother was so loving and giving of himself in life, don’t you think this is something he would want as a part of his legacy? She spoke to his doctor, and found out he was a candidate for tissue donation. She now calls me and says, “Catherine, can you believe it? Someone can walk again because of my brother!”

There are many myths about organ, eye and tissue donation and I encourage people to learn more about the process so that they can make an informed decision. When I was approached by Nevada Donor Network about Lauren, I had so many questions: Will she be sedated? How will the organs be recovered? Who will be taking them? I couldn’t think of her being a hero until I understood how it all worked. Nevada Donor Network’s family services coordinator gave me all the answers and reassurance I needed. And the way they facilitated the process was so beautiful. Our Family Services Coordinator asked us to write something to Lauren, which we did. A Nevada Donor Network staff member read our letters to her and then said a prayer for her before the organ recovery began.

Because of my experience with the organization, I decided to become a volunteer and assist Nevada Donor Network in educating people about the donation process, in hopes of giving more people the chance to be heroes, to continue their lives through others. I am a member of Nevada Donor Network’s Donor Family Council and am helping to plan their annual Remembrance Ceremony. I am hoping to speak at the event, to reassure my fellow donor family members that I know their pain, and I know what they’re going through — but each and every one of them made a difference in the world through their loved one’s donation.

One of Lauren’s many passions was helping to raise money for the teaching garden at Coronado High School. There were so many people who took on this endeavor, but it was very close to her heart. When describing the garden, one of Lauren’s favorite sayings is, “God only picks the most beautiful flowers. We’re all a part of the garden, meant to be different and beautiful. In order for us to flourish, we have to get rid of the weeds.” Why not help someone get rid of the fear of death, the weeds, by donating our organs and tissues to give them a second chance to flourish, and to live?

Catherine Guillet is a Nevada Donor Network Advocate for Life.

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