One bright August day, I received news that changed my world. Bambi Thomas died. Bambi wasn’t my wife, sister or even related to me. She was a 24-year-old mother who was waiting for a heart transplant and didn’t survive the wait. Bambi was on the waiting list for eight months and unfortunately a compatible donor was not found. This isn’t the way the story was supposed to end. But it did, and does for over 6,000 people and their families every year.

As director of public education for Intermountain Donor Services (IDS), an organ recovery agency, I have always been aware of these numbers. But Bambi reminded me that organ donation is the last and most Christian act that any of us can do. It is the fulfillment of the commandment to “love thy neighbor.”

Bambi also reminded me how many lives are lost, because some people mistakenly believe that their religion is against organ donation. While most mainstream religions view donation as an act of charity, some lay members have been misled by myths about donation desecrating the body. Nothing is further from the truth, since organ recovery allows for an open casket funeral and will not delay any funeral arrangements.

However, the best reason to donate one’s organs is to know a person like Bambi.

The birth of her first child led to a condition called post-partum cardio myopathy, which required a heart transplant. I was originally contacted by her aunt to see about conducting fundraisers to help Bambi with her medical bills. I said sure, and it was the beginning of a very rewarding relationship with Bambi and her entire family. Bambi had just helped IDS with an event four days before I got the call she had died.

When I got that call, I was devastated. Again, it is not supposed to end this way, especially with Bambi. She was a fighter and always helped whenever asked. I took the rest of the day off work to process the news. How could this happen? I viewed it then, and to a certain extent still do, as a personal failure in my job. ONE MORE DONOR could have saved Bambi’s life, but somewhere someone said “no” to organ donation. Why? What causes people to say no to saving other lives?

The death of Bambi made me reflect on a wide variety of things in my life, one being my sense of spirituality and how that directs me in my job. My religion has always given me great strength in times of need. I had prayed for Bambi and her family numerous times. It’s an odd feeling though, because for Bambi to live, it would mean another family would be going through the grief of losing a loved one. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t praying for anyone to die, but if someone who would be a match for Bambi died, I prayed they would have given permission for organ donation.

Has my religious upbringing helped me in my career? I feel it has for a number of reasons. So when people ask, should an alcoholic get a liver transplant, when, after all, they did that to themselves, the answer is of course they should. Aren’t we given the Commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves? Because a person is suffering from a disease, they should not be helped? I can’t really fathom why not.

There are a number of reasons why people have questions about donation and whether it’s the right thing to do. Some are worried about medical care if they have “donor” on their driver license. Doctors and nurses never even look at this. Others are worried that their family may have to pay for donation, which of course they don’t.

One question that comes up often is, what does my church believe? That is why November is National Donor Sabbath Month. It’s a way of getting people to talk about organ donation with their clergy and get the true understanding of what one’s religion feels about donation.

If you can help someone else, it is the Christian thing to do. If you haven’t already said yes to donation, it’s easy to do. Just go to