Losing a loved one is a horrible ordeal. Losing a child can be even harder to reconcile. Last week, a friend and former colleague lost his 33-year-old son, a vibrant young man full of life and love, in a tragic accident.
When I talked to my friend shortly after the passing of his son, this grieving father said to me with a smile, “He was an organ donor. Four of his organs are being used to save other people.”
Black people represent only 15% of organ donors in the U.S., yet represent more than 23% of people on transplant waiting lists.
My friend is a devout man, a God-fearing man. A man who believes in something much bigger than all of us. He took some solace in knowing that from his son’s death, five others may live. Five strangers, who may have been languishing on transplant lists for months or even years, will get a chance at a long and productive life because this young man checked a box on the back of his driver’s license.
While that act of generosity will never bring his son back, I think my friend is finding a little bit of comfort in knowing a part of his child lives on.
In 2023, for example, there were a total of 23,294 donors, both living and deceased in the U.S. In that same year, there were only 3,062 Black organ donors, from whom 9,176 organs were harvested. Of those 7,516 were transplanted. That means over 21,000 Black people most likely won’t or didn’t get a transplant over the last year.
Black people represent only 15% of organ donors in the U.S., yet represent more than 23% of people on transplant waiting lists. These numbers are grim. And the reality is that they will not change unless people make a conscious decision that, should the unthinkable happen, they can still do some good.
Checking that box on a driver’s license is no small decision. It is a gut-wrenchingly hard one that will not change the outcome for one, but could change the lives of many. One deceased donor can save up to eight lives.
While my friend’s heart will ache from now until eternity, he knows his son’s last act was one of generosity, kindness, and love for others. As he left this world he gave four others the greatest gift he could: LIFE.
Rest in Power, Wayne “Joco” Howell-Manigo.
Elinor Tatum is the publisher of The Amsterdam News
