By Dana Owens, Tissue Recovery Director
Even when I was young, I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. I remember saying I wanted to be a doctor whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. As I got older, I realized how many different possibilities there were in the medical field, but I always knew I wanted to help be the change in someone’s day, maybe be the reason they could keep going.
As many will say, I found myself in eye banking almost accidentally, totally by chance. I didn’t know anything about organ and tissue donation, but at my very first interview for an eye bank recovery technician position, I was hooked. I knew immediately this was where I belonged. This is what I was meant to do.
I have the privilege to be trained by and work with many amazing, strong, powerful, and brilliant women within the eye and tissue donation world. I have seen firsthand what resilience means when the day-to-day can be so difficult, so heartbreaking to bear. We are helping families in some of their worst moments, knowing the gift they give will help others to live on with hope. Living with passion and purpose is what I have been shown from day one.
However, living with passion and purpose can be a tricky thing. Just over eight years ago, my son had an asthma attack and went into respiratory arrest, then cardiac arrest. He was taken to the children’s hospital and was on a ventilator and life support. I remember sitting in the ICU room with my son, my head laying on his bed next to him, and thinking, “Oh no, is someone going to come talk to me about donation if he doesn’t get better?” I had never seen this side of the work I do so intimately. It made my mind race and wonder how the families that we work with every single day make it through such a thing.
We lived in Kansas City at the time, nearly six hours away from any of my family. One of my coworkers, Michaela, arrived at the children’s hospital within minutes of us getting there. She dropped everything to help me. She took care of my daughters all day, cleaned up the mess at my house that the paramedics left, and made sure I had the support I needed until my family arrived. My boss, Lynn, checked on us and made sure I knew that she and the entire organization were ready to help with anything I needed.
We had a very happy ending; my son made a full recovery and is strong and healthy. He turned 17 a few months ago and now we are talking about college and his future. But I will never forget what it was like to be in that ICU room with him. The experience has made me a better mother, a better coworker, a better person and a better leader.
I will leave you with this–let passion and purpose drive you. Use your experiences to guide your way. Be the leader who leads with care, empathy and compassion. And never forget why we do the work we do. It is how we change our world.
Editor’s note: This perspective is a part of a blog series in celebration of Women’s History Month.
