West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard spent 15 years in service to this state and his community. Last Friday, Trooper Maynard made the ultimate sacrifice when he was shot and killed while investigating reports of shots fired in Matewan.
But Maynard had one more contribution remaining. Within 24 hours of his passing, his body was taken to a tissue donation facility. “Even in his death, Sergeant Maynard continues to save lives through his selfless sacrifice,” said the State Police.
Cheryl King, West Virginia Community Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) said “By donating organs, one individual can help up to eight people, while tissue donors can improve the lives of 75 people.”
Most people are familiar with organ donations—heart, lungs, kidney, liver for example. But less well publicized are the many possible tissue donations. They include bone, ligaments, cartilage, heart valves, skin, veins, the membrane that encloses the heart, corneas and nerves.
King said 54 percent of the country’s population are registered as organ donors, but more are still needed. More than 100,000 people are waiting for a transplant and 500 of those are West Virginians. Nationally, 17 people will die each day because they did not receive a transplant.
King emailed me the story of Sam Romano of Clarksburg. He appeared to be a healthy 18-year-old preparing for college and mulling over football and baseball scholarships when doctors discovered a heart abnormality that required a transplant. He received that gift of life three years ago.
“In order for my son to live, someone else was not,” said Sam’s mother, Beth. “It was not lost on us; I thought about it every day. I want them to know that he is not going to waste that precious gift.”
King also told me the story of Lisa Johnson of Ripley. Her daughter, Jasmine “Nicole” Moore was 26 and engaged to be married when she was killed in a car accident. Johnson did not find out until after the accident that Nicole had made the choice to be a donor. “That’s my child, a hero,” she said. “Nicole lives on because she donated organs and tissue to those in need.”
It is easy to become a donor. You can sign up when you get your drivers license, your hunting and fishing license or you can go to dlwv.org, which stands for Donate Life West Virginia.
Today individuals who are really sick or are in desperate need of tissue have a second chance because of Sgt. Maynard and others who decided to give the gift of life.