The beautiful 17-year-old girl who saved my life, Kari, was healthy as a horse. She was a star athlete and was out running days before she passed… Two times in the month before she passed, she let her family know how strongly she felt about organ donation. I can’t imagine the pain and devastation they experienced when she passed – but knowing how she felt about donation must have been fresh on their minds. She was very special, and I don’t know why a precious 17-year-old girl would be vocal about a topic like that… But I’m alive because she was. I think about her every day – her beautiful smile crosses my mind throughout the day, every day.

Many of us know that organ donation is a good thing – that it saves lives. We might know that we want to become donors when we leave this beautiful planet, and we might assume that our families know how we feel. But it’s not always the best to assume that the people who love us understand how we feel about things like organ donation – and when we’re thrust into a devastating situation, our thoughts and decisions may not be as clear as we’d like them to be. Dave is right – signaling your intent now means one less burden for the people who care about you and are grieving for you at a time when there are already too many burdens. And they’ll also know how much you care about others.

I think about an amazing girl who let her family know how she felt – I think about her and her family daily. Be amazing and let your family know how you feel – register.