Most people will tell you that scrolling social media is a waste of time, especially late at night. I won’t be one of them.
If it weren’t for my bedtime scroll in December 2023, I would have missed the news story about kids at Children’s Hospital Colorado waiting for a liver transplant. It featured a woman who donated part of her liver to help a child she didn’t know, and encouraged healthy adults to be tested as potential donors.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the young patients and their families who were hoping a donor would come through in time to save their lives. Two days later, I clicked the link to apply to the living donor program at UCHealth. Six months after that, I donated part of my liver to a stranger via robotic surgery.
It’s been over a year since my procedure. I did this to help someone else, but now I realize how much the experience has changed my own life for the better, too.
It made me appreciate my health and healthcare workers
Good health is a gift that cannot be taken for granted. During hospital visits, I saw many patients and families in waiting rooms, parking lots, hallways, and cafeterias navigating the gravity of a difficult diagnosis.
Maureen Carrig on the day she came home from the hospital, sitting with her dog, Sasha.
Courtesy of Maureen Carrig
I was lucky. I had multiple tests and appointments to gauge my fitness for living donation. My surgery and recovery presented no complications. And throughout the process, I met doctors, nurses, and aides who showed genuine care and concern for everyone.
It made me more aware of time … and its limits
Time is also a gift. This donation process reminded me of its finite nature: We might not have all the days or years we’d like to pursue what’s most important.
As a public relations consultant, I now choose projects with more purpose and intention. Meetings with potential clients focus on the fit as much as the work: Do we value the same outcomes? Do we treat collaborators with respect? Are we building visibility on something that will help others?
I’m also spending more time with family and friends, many of whom live out of state. In the last six months, I took four trips to celebrate weddings, graduations, and birthdays. I’ll host two sets of friends visiting this fall. And that friend whose calls always end with, “We should really get together soon?” We now have a date set on the calendar.
Maureen Carrig with college friends at a recent wedding.
Courtesy of Maureen Carrig
Always asking, “Is this a good use of time?” helps me spend it wisely. Life is too short and too precious to postpone what’s important or waste time on things that don’t matter.
It showed me the power of saying ‘yes’
Saying “yes” to becoming a donor led to a few more questions from the medical team:
Would you be comfortable donating to an adult? Are you okay if the recipient decides to stay anonymous? Would you be open to volunteering after you recover?
I said “yes” to all of these questions, too. It expanded my circle in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve kept in touch with two nurses who were with me from the start of the donation process, and sometimes drop off lunch or snacks when I visit.
Maureen Carrig, right, stands outside UCHealth with Jaime, a nurse and transplant coordinator, on the day of Carrig’s one-month check-up visit.
Courtesy of Maureen Carrig
Carving out time for regular volunteer work has become a priority. At the hospital, I staff an activity room where patients and families can take a break from their rooms and any medical procedures or discussions. I help kids pick out toys, play with them, and chat with parents. It’s a simple but incredibly fulfilling role.
More recently, a fellow volunteer who formed her own non-profit to train search and rescue dogs asked me if I’d be willing to join a group setting trails and hiding and waiting for the dogs to find them. Before my donation, I probably would’ve passed on spending a full weekend with people I didn’t know. But this summer, I jumped at the chance.
Was this a good use of time? Absolutely. Did it help the trainer and handlers give their dogs more experience? Also yes. Did all the dogs find me? Thankfully, yes — even in the pouring rain. The dogs were terrific, I learned a lot, and I met amazing people who do life-saving work.
It gave me a cause I care deeply about
Living donation isn’t just part of my past. It’s also my present and future. I will do whatever I can to advocate for living donors, patients awaiting transplants, and the medical staff who give their patients the gifts of more time and better health.
Maureen Carrig’s living donor swag.
Part of that is raising awareness by sharing my story. When I told clients and colleagues I’d be going out for surgery, one told me about his experience as a bone marrow recipient, and two others wanted to learn more about becoming donors. Having this cause in my life gives me an extra way to connect with people and begin a dialogue on an important issue.
It showed me the impact of helping others in large and small ways
I realize that not everyone will want to — or be able to — donate an organ. There are many ways to make a difference, like donating blood or platelets, volunteering your time, or showing up for a friend.
There are people in need everywhere, and this experience has taught me to be on the lookout. I recently brought a meal to another living donor recovering at home, saved boxes for a neighbor planning to move, and helped a friend’s daughter prepare for her first job interview.
I was also the recipient of many kind gestures of support when I was recovering from surgery: visits from friends, texts and cards that made me laugh, and food and flowers at my door. I will always remember them.
No task is too small. Little things are big to those who need them.
Maureen Carrig is a PR and communications consultant focusing on national press relations, ghostwriting, and media training. She helps clients build visibility on the issues that matter to them most so they can grow awareness, build their businesses, and establish themselves as trusted subject matter experts. Maureen started her own consulting business in 2019, following a long career working for global companies. Maureen grew up in San Francisco and now calls Denver home. Follow her on LinkedIn and at carrigcommunications.com.
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