4/28/19 – Sunday
After the tree planting ceremony, I was able to distribute some Life Goes On materials at Nichols, a local library in Naperville. The work I did was similar to that of the regional coordinators, except on a local level. At Nichols library, I visited various tables going desk-to-desk in order to pass out pamphlets and discuss with them about organ and tissue donation is. I thought that the library would be a perfect spot because of the wide variety of people there. I knew that there would be teens – as Nichols Library is a popular spot in the downtown area – as well as adults and older citizens.
Once I arrived, I asked the front desk if it was okay for me to distribute flyers. Once they approved me, I went from table to table, introduced myself and that I was interning with Life Goes On, then politely asked if they’d be willing to listen to me discuss organ and tissue donation for a few minutes. If they said no, I moved on, and if they said yes, I gave a brief introduction to the topic. I also addressed common misconceptions, as well as answered any questions they had. Surprisingly, the most common question I received was whether or not the paramedics would save your life if they saw that you were an organ donor. This question is actually based off of a popular myth that was spread by inaccurate depictions in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. The truth is that paramedics and organizations such as Donate Life Illinois are on completely different paths. Paramedics are paid to save your life to the best of their ability: it’s their profession. Only after everything has been done to try to save your life, and the patient has been declared brain dead, then will the paramedics call Donate Life to see whether or not the person is on the registry. If they are, they would be taken to some type of surgeon, and if they aren’t they would move to burial, cremation, or some other type of service.
Overall, it was a very fun experience as I was able to work on my presentation skills, as well as interact with peers my age and adults as well. I truly believe that I was able to inform some people about organ and tissue donation, as well as clear up some misconceptions among various people at the library that day.
