Brandon Twp.- Dan and Renelle Tolan received an extraordinary letter in the mail in August.
‘Dear donor family,? began the letter. ‘There are no words possible to tell you the impact that your selflessness has had on my life and that of my family.
I know that during a very difficult time in your lives you made the ultimate decision to save other lives,
people that you didn’t even know.
I can never thank you enough.?
A car accident claimed the life of Dan and Renelle’s 20-year-old son, Josh Tolan, in June, but they are comforted knowing that his heart beats on in the 54-year-old Missouri woman that wrote the letter.
‘The letter brought tears to our eyes,? says Renelle. ‘It reaffirms that we made the right decision.?
‘It’s a good feeling to know that part of your son lives on,? adds Dan.
Josh Tolan was stopped June 8 on Oakwood Road behind a vehicle that was making a left-hand turn, when the Cavalier he was driving was struck from behind, pushing him into the vehicle in front of him. At Genesys Regional Medical Center that night, doctors declared Josh brain dead; however, the 2007 Brandon High School graduate, described by his parents as ‘such a giving kid,? had some final gifts to bestow.
‘I will take the best care possible of your gift to me! Due to your generosity I now have a new chapter in my life which started the day I received your donation. I will always know that it came with a price for your family, the loss of your loved one, so it will always be a day of mixed emotions for my family as well.?
Dan and Renelle say the decision to donate Josh’s organs came naturally. He wasn’t on the donor registry, but they felt it was what he would have wanted. They learned later that he had told his co-workers at Mongolian Barbeque that he wanted to donate his organs if anything ever happened to him.
Besides the heart that went to the woman named Kally, they recently learned that their decision to donate his organs has also benefitted a 39-year-old Michigan woman who received his liver and an 8-year-old boy and 41-year-old man, both from Michigan, who each received a kidney from Josh.
The organ matches were made through Gift of Life Michigan, the federally designated organ and tissue recovery organization.
In Michigan, as of Sept. 1, there were almost 3,000 people on the waiting list for an organ? 2,400 of those are waiting for kidneys, followed by 310 waiting for livers, and 88 need a new heart, said Tim Makinen, director of corporate communications for Gift of Life Michigan. Nationwide, about 104,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant.
‘Eighteen people die every day waiting for a transplant that didn’t come in time,? said Makinen.
‘My husband was also listed on the transplant list, but was unable to get a new heart in time. That’s why this donation that you made is even more special to me, because I got a second chance that my husband never did. So I’m trying to live my life for both of us.?
Currently, there are more than 1.6 million people who have documented their wish to be organ donors by joining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, but that is just 23 percent of the licensed drivers in Michigan, well below the national average of 38 percent of licensed drivers who are registered as organ donors, Makinen said.
A donor can save up to eight lives, with the donation of two kidneys, the heart, two lungs, the pancreas, the liver and intestines. Tissue including corneas, skin, bone, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and heart valves can also be provided from one donor for up to 50 people.
Kim Prentice’s father, Joe Piwowarczyk, became a cornea and tissue donor when he died in 1993 at the age of 46 from a heart arrythmia.
‘We just knew that (organ donation) would have been in his heart and something he would have wanted to do,? says his daughter, a Brandon Township resident. ‘Why take it with you if you could save someone’s life? It was a shock that we lost him, but now that time has passed, it has become a blessing that someone else is living better because he once lived. There is no greater gift.?
Prentice, who is a teacher at Sashabaw Middle School in Clarkston, has also been able to share her experience with her students as part of the health sciences curriculum.
‘Because of my father, he was able to give life, and gave me life and knowledge and I am in a position to spread that knowledge about organ donation,? she said. ‘The kids want to know those really hard questions, what will I look like as an organ donor… The earlier we get them comfortable with the idea, the better. There are so many misconceptions, so it’s rewarding to see kids get it.?
Makinen agrees there are many misconceptions and he works to dispel them. Contrary to what some people believe, organ donation does not leave the donor disfigured. All funeral arrangements, including an open casket, are possible after organs have been donated. All major religions approve of organ donation. Just because a person is older or has an illness does not disqualify them as a donor.
‘A lot of people think the way you indicate your wish to be an organ donor is by signing the back of your license,? he said. ‘That is no longer accurate. Join the donor registry and get a heart sticker for the front of your license. Registry is confidential on a database and documents your wish to help others with this life-saving action.?
‘Just in the short time since I’ve received my new heart, I am able to walk and talk at the same time. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but prior to my transplant I could do one or the other, but not both because I would be short of breath… One day soon I will be able to go to the river and catch a few trout. You have made that possible, in addition to an endless list of things I wanted to do but couldn’t…I know from experience that no one can replace your loved one, but I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that he or she helped with so many other lives? not just mine. Thank you for your gift and I will cherish my new heart.?
When the Tolans decided they wanted to have a memorial event for their son, a 5K race to benefit Gift of Life Michigan also seemed a natural choice. Josh Tolan was involved in track during high school and ran a marathon his senior year.
The Josh Tolan Memorial Gift of Life 5K will begin at 9 a.m., Nov. 7 at Brandon High School. The cross country style 5K run/walk will take place over mostly flat groomed grass and dirt terrain. Refreshments are provided. Cost is $15 if postmarked by Oct. 31 and $20 after Oct. 31 and on race day. T-shirts are guaranteed to everyone registered by Oct. 31. Awards will be presented to the top male and female finisher overall; male and female masters; and the top three male and female finishers in 11 age groups. All proceeds go to Gift of Life for organ donation support. For more information on the race, call Linda at 248-802-6004. To join the organ donor registry, go to giftoflifemichigan.org or call 800-482-4881 or go to any Secretary of State branch office.