Kaye Norlin is a part-time yoga instructor and an organ transplant saved her life, so she couldn’t pass by the organ and tissue donor drive in the lobby of Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC). Norlin was diagnosed with a rare, progressive lung disease that caused an enlarged heart, which nearly killed her. She had a double-lung transplant six years ago. Norlin said, “I’m not dead. I can breathe. I still get to see my kids.”
Since the transplant, Norlin has spoken out about the rare disease and the organ donation that renewed her energy and her life. On her way to class on Tuesday, she encouraged passing students to hear what La Salle County Coroner Rich Ploch and representatives of the Gift of Hope organ procurement organization had to say.
Several people passing by said that they already signed up as registered donors while renewing drivers’ licenses. Ploch said some people don’t know if they’re registered, and others might seem timid about discussing the subject. The issue is one piece of a life-decision process that families don’t seem to plan or talk about as much as they used to, he added.
As part of National Donate Life Month, Ploch led the effort to bring the registration drive to campus, where the organ/tissue drive shared a table with the campus Red Cross Club as it signed up donors for college blood drives this month.
Gift of Hope representative Debbie DeVito said her organization holds drives in hospitals, colleges, and high schools, among other sites. Though the goal is to add to the donor registry, the group spends much time answering questions and dispelling myths, she added.
Like Norlin, DeVito’s advocacy of organ/tissue donation is personal. Her young son’s organs were donated after he was killed in a traffic accident. “He was a hero and became part of something huge that touched a lot of people,” she said. DeVito came to know the recipient families and takes comfort from the connection. “Sometimes I just listen to her breathe so I can hear my son,” she said, referring to a lung transplant recipient.
Instructor Mike Phillips helped arrange the organ/tissue donor drive with Ploch. “I knew our college community would be very supportive. Organ donation is important because it literally saves lives. It also turns the sad circumstances that we experience when someone dies into a positive one where people with a variety of illnesses can have their lives turned around.”
Gift of Hope representative Gina Martin never set a goal for how many would register on Tuesday. “Even if only one does, that one is life-changing.”
