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May 2014

Donors

Jane is driving. She doesn’t have a license or anything but she has her permit and a car. Getting her a car with her permit has been a wonderful decision. I didn’t remember learning to drive but now that I’m in the passenger seat with her I’m reminded of how difficult it is to learn about the size and speed of your own car never mind switching between two or more.

I took her to take her permit test and it was another new experience where she was figuratively in the driver’s seat. The DMV employees are really very sweet to teens looking for permits and as she was talking and joking with man who accepted her paperwork he said, “You forgot to check this box. Would you like to be a donor?”

Jane asked, “What’s that.”

“Well, if you die they harvest your organs and use them to save someone else’s life.”

“Yes.” She smiled and was perky as if talking about death by vehicle could be kind of fun.

This is a discussion I was supposed to have with her. We were supposed to talk about organ donation and how it can give life when one has been taken. I didn’t though, she intuitively knew. It struck me that Jane was making decisions about her own life without consulting me, just a large man who seems to never leave his office chair.