Giving the Best Gift Ever!

The old adage about donating is "give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

I was taught in school that there are levels of good deeds...that some are “gooder” (SAT word meaning better or more valued) than others.

Let us take the case of the out of work, homeless beggar. If you donate money  to this person anonymously it is viewed as better than donating money and trying to receive credit for the donation. That if instead of giving this person money you took them to lunch, that is a greater good dead (or “mitzvah” – as Jewish people refer to it). That if instead you allow the person to earn the money that is better than giving them some of your hard earned money. And that if instead, you gave them full time job or taught them a new skill (so they could get a job) and let them continue to earn their meals and their way out of homelessness, that would be the still greater gift.

But during my lessons , the best of all possible donations never came up in conversation. This is the gift of life. This gift of saving someone else from leaving the physical plane of existence and to continue to be a productive member of society, has to be the greatest donation and mitzvah of all.  

Now there are people that do this all the time, (like soldiers, policemen, firemen, EMS workers, etc) but many times these people , while at risk, continue to live on as well.   

To do this on a personal level where you give your life to save someone is the ultimate sacrifice. So it just seems that , one could go on to say, that if you gave an organ or two or three from your body so that others could go on living, even though you could not, then THAT would be the Ultimate Donation! The Ultimate Good Deed!

As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, my nephew, Matthew Rosiello was finally given his LIVER TRANSPLANT in a Hospital in the heart of Ohio. Matthew's 10-hour operation to replace his liver culminated at approximately 3 a.m. the next morning and also included a reconstruction of his intestines. As of 8 a.m. Friday,  Matthew was off the respirator and breathing on his own, in pain , but talking with is mother, father and brother in the ICU. He even made a call to wish his favorite Aunt, a “Happy 50th Birthday” later that day.

Matthew, who on July 4 had a life threatening liver infection, which is now gone and he is, (finally after 21 years) "in the Pink". His yellow, jaundiced like skin tint, which he has had since birth from Biliary Atresia, is gone and he has the hue of most normal people. Not even a sign of grey from the intense anesthesia. Now comes the recovery, the anti-infection measures and the very expensive anti-rejection drugs and therapy.

As of Sunday, Matt is being transferred to a regular super anti-septic room in the transplant wing of the hospital in Ohio where he had to take up residency months earlier so he could try to get higher on the transplant list. This maneuver was orchestrated by his mother and father in the necessary attempt to shorten his wait and save Matt’s life.

Matt is in severe pain and on IV fluids, but that will pass and his life will continue. I personally would like to thank you for ALL YOUR SUPPORT and help with my nephew as the worst seems to finally be over. Matt will get to celebrate Christmas and hopefully many more because of the initial help of many Long Islanders who pitched in!

However, my biggest thanks ....and condolences goes to the young organ donor from Ohio  who gave their liver to save Matt...and their heart, kidneys, lungs and other organs to save a host of others. I am sitting here typing with tears in my eyes. Tears of sadness that someone younger that Matt had to give their life to do this . And tears of gratitude that someone younger than Matt was generous enough to give the ULTIMATE GIFT.

I hope that many of you reading this will join me and my family...in checking “Organ Donor” box on YOUR license so that the rest of the Matthew Rosiellos out there can live out a long life and fulfill their potential. Who knows, maybe one of them will find a cure for cancer someday. Wouldn’t that be sweet?