Heart transplant recipient talks impact of organ donation
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- As a Milwaukee police officer is set to donate his organs after a severe crash, one organ recipient is urging others to be as courageous as the family of the officer.
After a Sunday night crash, the family of James "Jimmy" Nowak has told CBS 58 that he would be donating his organs on Wednesday night. According to the Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin, one person's organ donations can help up to 8 people. One of those people is Brookfield resident Tom Demski.
"Way back when Titanic was the number one movie in theatres and Harry Potter was just published, I was just hoping to wake up in the morning," Demski said.
Twenty-six years ago, Demski received a heart transplant. As a child, he had cardiomyopathy that eventually turned into irreversible heart disease that left him in need of a new heart. He got one and is now living a life he calls a dream; one he did not expect to be alive to see.
"One of my sons really put it in perspective to me. You know the donation saved your life, but you know none of us would be here either," he said. "He said that one decision that was made to donate not only saved my life, but he said everything they accomplish can also be traced back to that one decision."
He said he owes his life to Amy Madsen, who donated her organs to him and others after a severe car crash.
"She was such a wonderful, giving, beautiful young girl," he said.
With the help of Versiti, his transplant was a success. He is just one of the many organ recipients they work with, along with the families of donors.
"We support families through the loss and death of their loved one, and through that loss, families have the opportunity at times to donate this amazing gift to save others through organ and tissue donation," Versiti Vice President Organ & Tissue Donation Colleen McCarthy said.
McCarthy said families often find it healing to know the legacy of their loved one lives on in others.
"It just gives this ray of hope that something good happened out of this devastating moment," she said. "There's a ripple effect. It's not only the patients that need these lifesaving gifts, but it also helps these donor families as they journey through their grief and their healing."
Demski said this gift of life is one he has never and will never forget.
"It's one of the things I think about every day. I just pray for her family, and I'm just so grateful for them and the decision that they made," he said.
To sign up to be an organ donor, CLICK HERE.