Since losing their son Nicholas, 7, in a random shooting while vacationing in Italy in '94, Reg and Maggie Green-who donated Nicholas' organs—have worked to increase donations worldwide. Reg's latest effort: The Gift That Heals, a collection of stories from donor and recipient families.
WHAT'S YOUR GOAL WITH THIS BOOK? I wanted to educate people about organ donation in a vivid way—by drawing them into real lives.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE WHO TO PROFILE? I asked everyone I knew in the transplant world to suggest a memorable example, someone who brought tears to their eyes. We have the man who was blind and had never seen his five children, the man who got his own daughter's heart...
WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE SIGN UP TO BE DONORS? Polls show most people are in favor of it; they just don't think about it. But the average decision to donate can save three or four lives.
ARE YOU STILL IN TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE WHO GOT NICHOLAS'S ORGANS? Intermittently. Seeing how their lives were rescued, it's hard to think we could have made any other decision. I think Nicholas would have approved.
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