National Minority Donor Awareness Week

I will be on the radio today. I have agreed to be a spokesperson for this important mission Donate Life. 
It's my personal story regarding my greatest loss in Sept/2010 my daughter Charlie Gonzalez and making the decision to donate her organs. 
I do this for many reasons. I want to honor my daughter Charlie's memory, bring awareness to others that it's ok to discuss donation with your loved one's and Hope for all those that received something of her's. New Hope!!

I decided to go ahead with a news release regarding Charlie's Donation Story and this is the full article here- LifeChoice Donor Services: Minority donors needed  They have a photo of her which is great b/c it puts a face w/our story. This is just my part but the whole article is really interesting and bringing awareness to Donate Life/LifeChoice Donor Services, Inc in CT

However, before there can be organs to donate, there must first be awareness. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Gonzalez of East Windsor is an example of that awareness. When her life was suddenly cut short, her mother Mary Martinez instantly knew that Charlie would want her organs to be donated.

“I hadn’t thought about it, but she had. We talked about “The Bodies” exhibit and she expressed how cool it was and how we could learn so many interesting things from that exhibit. She said if I ever go before you, please donate my body to science. So we did in a way,” said Martinez.

Charlie was a high school senior when her life ended. She was creative and loved to draw and read. She was also a great listener with an ear for helping people solve problems. For that reason, it was no surprise to her family that she wanted to become a nurse. Ultimately, saving lives is exactly what she did.

“I’m proud that she lives on inside someone else. Her organs helped other people. It makes a big impact on their lives. She helped each individual person live on just a little longer than they would have. She gave their families hope and time to keep on loving each other.”

When it comes to organ donation, there are many myths. For one, it’s sometimes suggested that medical personnel don’t work quite as hard to save people who are designated organ donors. Martinez wants to set the record straight, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The triage care she received from the ambulance crew was what brought her back right before reaching the hospital. The Hartford Hospital ER doctors took over and continued the triage and stabilized her,” she said. “Everyone I dealt with was compassionate and concerned about Charlie. At the end of the three days, we were advised that she was brain dead and every test that could be done to determine that was performed. We had no doubts about what we were being told. We knew she had been very well cared for and every attempt to help her had been exhausted.” The End.