GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Usually the main attraction at John Ball Zoo is the animals, but on Thursday night, it was all about people. The zoo hosted Donate Life Night in partnership with Gift of Life Michigan to celebrate people who have donated their organs, and the recipients who are alive today because of someone else.
The sidewalks of the zoo were lined with posters featuring the images and stories of both donors and recipients. One of those posters featured Spencer Powell of Portage, who received a life-saving heart transplant when he was a teenager. Now at age 24, he’s living a much healthier life.
“I feel a lot better. I can walk up a flight of steps without being out of breath. I can do just normal things that anyone should be able to do, that you never really think you should take for granted,” he said.
Spencer wrote to his donor’s family but never heard back. He wants them to know how grateful he is for the gift of life.
“It’s just such a selfless act that they did, and me and my family are just blessed every day honestly,” Spencer said, adding that he would encourage anyone to become an organ donor.
“Anyone can be an organ donor. One organ donor can save up to eight lives through organ and cornea and all organs and everything like that, so I just really like to encourage it.”
According to Gift of Life Michigan, around 2,400 people in our state are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant right now.
“The best way to save those lives is for people to become aware and educated about organ donation and put that heart on their driver's license and become an organ donor,” said Patrick Wells-O’Brian who serves as vice president for communications and external relations at Gift of Like Michigan.
“It saves lives, and the more people become educated about what it means to be a registered organ donor, the more people say yes. And when people are not informed about that, they hesitate. So we ask that people go to our website, GiftOfLifeMichigan.org. You can learn about organ and tissue donation there, and you can register and get that heart on your license.”
Last year, around 900 people attended Donate Life Night. Event organizers believe Thursday night’s attendance was double that.
