Feb. 14 is National Donor Day in honor of organ donation

Fifteen years ago, I made what seemed like a big decision but turned out to be one of the easiest choices of my life. My father, a Vietnam veteran whose kidneys were failing due to Agent Orange exposure, needed a transplant. With the unwavering support of my husband and children, I became his donor.

What followed surprised me in the most wonderful ways. Our community rallied around our family with meals, childcare, and countless acts of kindness that reminded me what true neighbors look like. Physically, I bounced back faster than expected, (perhaps faster than my doctors would have preferred, given my ill-advised but uneventful return to the tennis court.) But the real recovery wasn't mine to measure.

The morning after surgery, my father said something I'll never forget: he was warm for the first time in years. That warmth — both literal and metaphorical — sustained him for nine healthy, vibrant years. He lived to become a grandfather three more times, to travel with family, and to create memories that sustain us still. He even endured waking up in a hospital room decorated with Red Sox paraphernalia, despite being a lifelong Yankees fan, which was perhaps the greatest test of his recovery.

Though my father is no longer with us, that warmth he felt lives on in every extra moment we shared, every laugh, every story told to grandchildren who knew their grandfather not as a patient, but as the vibrant man he remained.

Being an organ donor by checking that box on your driver's license creates the possibility of an incredible gift. But participating in living donation, whether directed to a loved one, is done altruistically, or as part of the chain donations that can help multiple families at once, transforms the giver as much as the receiver. It's a reminder that sometimes our greatest gifts require surprisingly little sacrifice.

On this National Donor Day, consider not just the lives you might save, but the life you might gain — in purpose, in community, and in the irreplaceable gift of time.

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Erin Jospe MD, is the CEO of Lakes Region VNA.