reflections on organ transplants

I am on-call this weekend at the Ronald McDonald House and every time I go up to the second floor I have to walk past this room with a sign on the door. The sign reads, "Please pray for our little angel Jadelyn. She is waiting for a liver, pray that it comes soon!" I am struck by the fact that in order for this baby to live, another baby needs to die. The parent's who made this sign are in a sense saying, "Please pray for our little angel Jadelyn. She is waiting for a liver, so we are hoping that some other family's little angel does not make it so we can have the liver!" I am an advocate for organ transplant (I did an internship with the National Kidney Foundation in College) but the human drama involved really sets me back. In order for one child to live, some other child has to die, and in the case of organ transplant, a sudden death. I guess it goes to show that nothing is ever easy. I know the families at the house, and I want to support them and hope that things turn out well for them, yet, there are many other families out there with similar tragedies as well.