'Check the box': Manchester event promotes organ donation awareness
Apr. 30—Five years on, Kate Ammon still has trouble talking about it.
The Francestown resident lost her sister, Erin Thomas, to a traumatic brain injury suffered in an accident five years ago at the far-too-young age of 42.
But — as she puts it — her sister had "checked the box" on her driver's license to become an organ donor, allowing her family's loss to afford a stranger the gift of life.
"It was a horrible tragedy but such an amazing experience in the hospital, knowing it was what she wanted and others would be helped," Ammon said. "It's why I became an organ donor."
Ammon joined other families of organ donors and recipients at Manchester City Hall on Tuesday for a celebration recognizing April as Organ Donation Month. Mayor Jay Ruais and Matt Boger of New England Donor Services headed up the event, held in the aldermanic chambers.
New England Donor Services (NEDS) represents the federally-designated, non-profit Organ Procurement Organizations (OPO) responsible for the surgical recovery of organs and tissues for transplant in Maine and throughout the New England region.
According to NEDS, the organization is reporting a record number of life-saving deceased donor organ donations and transplants in its New England service area for a third consecutive year.
In 2023, 549 deceased donors donated organs, resulting in 1,401 life-saving transplants.
This level of activity puts NEDS among the nation's top four organ procurement organizations by donor volume, with the organization increasing the annual number of organ donors by 52% since 2020.
Michele Decoteau of Mason said she and her husband, Kevin, lost their son, Dan, 39, who died after falling off his motorized skateboard during his nightly break and sustaining a traumatic brain injury in 2021.
Decoteau said she and her husband never discussed being an organ donor with their son before his death.
"This difficult decision had to be made during our time of grief," Decoteau said. "It was excruciating to be making this very personal and important decision for someone else.
"Dan was a loyal and hardworking friend and co-worker who loved his job. He was a proud Army veteran, and a loving and supportive father. Since Dan was a loving, kind, compassionate and selfless person we decided that he would want to save the lives of others."
On Aug. 8, 2021, Decoteau said, her son became a hero and changed the lives of four organ recipients and their families forever. Dan donated his heart, his liver and two kidneys, while also improving the quality of life of 52 tissue, bone and cornea recipients.
Michele Decoteau said listening to her son's donated heart beating in the chest of Gary Swain of Marblehead, Mass., changed her after they met at Greeley Park in Nashua on Mother's Day 2022.
"Gary said, 'It is our heart now, we are a new family,'" Decoteau said. "Organ recipients are forever grateful and positive to have a second chance at life. Please, please discuss organ donation with your family before the tragedy happens. You can save the lives of others. The organ recipient will be eternally grateful. To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.
"Dan lives on in others."
The vast majority of individuals in New Hampshire who register as an organ and tissue donor do so at the state Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Currently, 55% of New Hampshire motorists "check the box" on their driver's license to become an organ donor, a number higher than the national average for states.
National registry officials have a goal of 52%.
Ammon said she attends events like Tuesday's celebration to help get the word out about becoming an organ donor.
"Seeing the people that are impacted really affected us," Ammon said.
Ruais called Tuesday's event "profoundly moving."
"Storytelling is really a super power," Ruais said. "And the ability to tell stories inspires hope, it inspires action, and I'm so moved by the stories that have been shared here this morning."
Ruais went on to read a proclamation declaring April as Organ Donation Month in the Queen City.
Organizers at NEDS encourage New Hampshire residents to "Have a Heart and get a Heart" by registering as a donor at the DMV when getting or renewing your driver's license, Real ID, or ID.
