Harvey J. Steele Memorial Blood Drive set for December 2
Rewind to July 1997. My dad started to slow down. His energy was slipping away from him. His skin and the whites of his eyes turned yellow seemingly overnight. And he was retaining liters of fluid in his stomach. One trip to the doctor and we found out my dad had end-stage liver disease and the only hope for him to survive was a liver transplant.
My dad was placed on the national transplant waiting list in August 1997. At that time, there were approximately 53,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in the U.S. (Now, there are nearly 110,000!) My 14-year-old self tried not to think about it, but I knew what would happen if he did not receive a transplant—he would become one of the 20 people who died every day awaiting their second chance at life. All I could do was hope that my dad would not become a statistic.
In September 1997, my dad’s health took a cliff dive and he took up residence on the 11th floor of the Cleveland Clinic so he could be monitored 24/7. I spent the next few weekends traveling back and forth from Toledo to Cleveland. Every trip, he would look worse than the week before. My mom used to call him the Energizer Bunny—he was always full of energy and incredibly busy—but end-stage liver disease turned him into a frail, jaundiced man who could not even walk. My dad was dying, and there was nothing I could do.
Then, on November 5, 1997, a miracle happened. We got the news that would change our lives forever. My dad was going to receive the liver transplant that he so desperately needed. After his 13-hour surgery, I went to his room in the ICU. He started looking like himself again. And his gift came just in time—doctors said if he did not receive a transplant, he would not have made it through the week.
After his transplant, my dad resumed his Energizer Bunny status and he was determined to make the most of his second chance at life. He immediately began volunteering for Life Connection of Ohio, the non-profit organization that serves families and saves lives through organ donation. He used his platform as a radio personality on K-100 to spread the word about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation. No matter how busy he was, he always made time to emcee donor recognition ceremonies, broadcast from awareness events, share his story through media interviews, and the list goes on and on. He never said “no” to those opportunities because he was so thankful that someone said “yes” and saved his life. Even though he had a self-proclaimed face for radio, he was happy to be a poster boy and showcase the power of organ donation.
Sadly, my dad passed away on December 28, 2017. He did so much good in his 60 years of life, but the legacy he left from his last 20 years—all made possible because of organ donation—is incredible. He made his mark on our community, and he created a life-saving ripple effect that knows no end.
To celebrate his life—and in gratitude for the life-saving blood products my dad received along with his liver transplant—the community is invited to give blood in his honor at the third annual Harvey J. Steele Memorial Blood Drive. The big event is set for Friday, December 2, from 12:00–6:00 p.m. at Maumee United Methodist Church (405 Sackett Street). For an appointment, please visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter the code HARVEY or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
For more information about organ donation, visit lifeconnection.org.
Kara Steele is Director of Community Services for Life Connection of Ohio.
