© Photo by Heather Nash
Debora Dearring, right, is inspired to help educate and motivate others to join the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. She received the gift of lungs in 2015.
victory, she said. “But it’s more of a victory for them.” She’s active with the Detroit Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), where she helps organize events such as the annual LIFE Walk/Run at Belle Isle State Park in Detroit. Debora is also on the board of directors of Aarolyn’s House of Hope, a nonprofit working to open
a house in Detroit for out-of-town transplant patients and their families to stay. Debora said she’s grateful for life, her organ donor and the support of her family and friends “every day I open my eyes.” Something changes in you after you receive an organ transplant, Debora said — beyond the new lungs or kidney.
“Maybe it’s empowerment,” she mused. “Empowerment to do good, to have a purpose. “The purpose I have now is to encourage people, enlighten them, educate them,” Debora said. “So many people invested time and care and compassion in me. I want to
give all those things now.” Visit golm.org/volunteer to become a volunteer.
LifeLINES | 2023
21
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online