Dia de los Muertos offers an opportunity to reflect on the cherished Mexican traditions surrounding death and remembrance. As families decorate altars and hold lively cemetery festivities, we are reminded of the ways we keep people alive even after they are gone. This celebration can inspire us to talk about another way to leave a legacy after death- through organ and tissue donation.
The communal rituals of Dia de los Muertos teach us that connections with our loved ones transcend death. While the loss of a loved one is always painful, families often remark that being able to donate their loved ones' organs or tissue helps them heal, knowing this generosity can allow other families to spend more precious years together. It is a final act of love and remembrance, and a living miracle for someone else.
In our region, Mid-America Transplant has enabled over 18,000 life-saving organ transplants and tens of thousands of tissue transplants. It takes only two minutes to sign up to be a donor at SayYesGiveLife.org. Then tell your family about your decision.
This Dia de los Muertos, as we honor our bonds with those that have died, remember we each have the incredible opportunity to transform death into life, so another family can share in the laughter, celebration, and connection that Dia de los Muertos represents. Through donation, recipients carry a piece of their donor's spirit within them forever.
Jorge Riopedre, Executive Director at Delmar Divine, is a board member of the Mid-America Transplant Foundation.
