Organ Donation - and Me?

I just learned the most extraordinary thing:

I am a beneficiary of organ donation.

Now that I think about it, I have a vague ~ extremely vague ~ memory of the plastic surgeon talking about the source of Alloderm, which he uses in breast reconstruction.  And I remember him mentioning it again when I stopped by his office to sign a stack of consent forms.

But when you are facing a mastectomy, you cannot possibly absorb all the information thrown at you in a few intense, emotion-laden weeks.

Yesterday, during my post-op visit, the breast surgeon explained what she has seen her colleague do with Alloderm, in response to a question I had about some residual pain that has finally dissipated.

And so a few minutes ago I googled, "What is Alloderm?"

It's donated human tissue.

I am stunned.

This whole episode in my life has been quite difficult.

But this knowledge offers a whole new perspective.