Christine Jonker’s daughter received a new kidney thanks to the selfless kindness of a family struck by tragedy, so she wrote them a thank you letter.
Cape Town, South Africa – Christine Jonker shared a moving tribute to the family of an anonymous organ donor who saved her daughter’s life. Christine’s daughter Kaylyn has been on dialysis for the last eight years, waiting for the call that there was a kidney for her.
The family recently got the good news they had been waiting for, and Kaylyn was in the middle of a dialysis session at Tygerberg Hospital when they told her she was being taken to undergo the transplant. They would never have gotten that good news if the donor’s family had opted out of organ donation.
Christine is profoundly grateful and encourages every family facing the devastating loss of a loved one, to choose organ donation as it saves so many lives.
“To the family who lost a loved one yesterday,
During a time of grieving, you acted selflessly and donated a loved one’s organs. I do not know who you are, or if your loved one was male or female and I probably will never get to meet you, but I hope that this message somehow reaches you.
Last night at 20H30 my daughter was pushed into theatre at Tygerberg hospital where she has been on dialysis for almost eight years and received an exceptional gift of life in the form of a new kidney. Thus far everything looks good, and the kidney is starting to do its job. As a mother, I can never imagine the pain and anguish that you are going through at the moment, but I would like to say thank you.
Thank you for giving a little piece of them to make a 25-year-old girl’s life a bit easier. Thank you for giving her hope for a new life. Thank you for being absolutely selfless in this time of grief. May you have absolute peace in your heart knowing that you have saved so many lives by this selfless act of kindness. Know that your child/partner will live on in so many people, and is looking down at you from Heaven proud of your decision.
May God bless you and hold you tight during this tragic time.
Once again Thank you. “
Christine asked her friends and family to share her thank you post far and wide in the hopes that it would reach the donor’s family. The post has since gone viral, and Christine feels that the family would have seen it by now. She thanked everyone for helping to share her message.
She now hopes her message will inspire more people to register as organ donors and make their wishes known to family who would eventually have the power to make the final decision.
“I would just like to thank everybody who shared my post yesterday. I am confident it reached the donor family. For those who left messages and prayers, we are truly touched by the number of prayers and well wishes. It is our hope that our story has reached people all over the world and that more people will register with their organ donation society and also have their wishes known to their family and loved ones.
So many people were helped this weekend by what I understand was more than one family… who kept in mind their loved one’s wishes during a devastating time. Once again thank you to the donor family, surgical team, Doctors, Nursing staff and all support staff at Tygerberg hospital, your service support and love has been life-changing.”
If you would like to register as an organ donor, you can do so here.
Remember also to let your loved ones know your wishes, as they have the final choice at the end of the day. Organ donation saves more than one life; it saves thousands each year.
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