News release

The Gift of Health, Sight or Life, Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, Op-Ed

Health and Wellness

NOTE: The following is an op-ed from Adam's mother, Shirley Kelly.


My son Adam was a talented athlete and artist whose enthusiasm and love of life inspired me.

He graduated from Cape Breton University with an automotive and collision repair certificate and loved to fix cars. As a goaltender for his hockey team, he excelled and was well respected by his coaches and teammates. He had a real passion for art and that shone through in his many drawings. With a new job, a girlfriend and plans for the future, he had so much left to do in life.

Tragically, all that came to abrupt end when he died in an accident on May 27, 2007. He was 21-years-old. As the doctor came out of the trauma room, held my hand, and gently told me that Adam was gone despite their valiant efforts to save him, my thoughts turned to a conversation we'd had a few weeks earlier. It was a conversation about organ and tissue donation, and he was all for it.

As a family grieving the loss of our only son, we wanted to honor his wishes to be a donor. Through correspondence with the tissue bank, we learned that the life of a burn patient was saved and more than 50 other people received tissue from Adam's selfless donation. The pride we feel knowing that something good came from something so tragic gives us the strength to go on.

It also gives us comfort to think that even when we die, a part of us can live on in others through organ and tissue donation. By choosing to be a donor, you can give the gift of health, sight or mobility, or even the ultimate gift of life itself.

Adam would be happy that others have benefited from his legacy. There are people in the world with a better quality of life because of our son's gift, and it has helped lessen our grief. Because his decision to be an organ donor has helped our family, we encourage others to do the same.

During Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week from April 21-27, please discuss organ donation with your family, and register as a donor.

For more information, visit www.legacyoflife.ns.ca.