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>> TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
ORGAN TRANSPLANTS TAKE PLACE
EVERY YEAR BUT EVEN MORE
BONE AND TISSUE DONATIONS
AND FILL -- PHILLIP PALMER
REPORTS MANY ARE UNAWARE
THIS AMAZING GIFT PEOPLE ARE
GIVEN EVERY DAY HELPS THEM
LIVE LONGER PAIN-FREE LIVES
IN SEPTEMBER OF 2007 MARK
WATER WAS PILOTING A
HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED IN
FLORIDA.
TWO PEOPLE IN THE HELICOPTER
DIED IN ACCIDENT THAT ALMOST
KILLED MARK AS WELL.
THE INJURIES TO HIS LEFT LEG
WERE SO SEVERE DOCTORS WERE
ALMOST FORCED TO AMPUTATE.
HAPPY TO BE ALIVE AND ABLE
TO WALK MARK SOON FOUND
HIMSELF WITH DEBILITATING
PAIN.
>> OVER A FEW MINUTES IT
WOULD LITERALLY GET TO THE
POINT WHERE IT FELT LIKE
THERE WAS A HOT IRON INSIDE
MY KNEE JUST BURNING AWAY
AND IT WOULD JUST CONTINUE
TO GET WORSE AND WORSE AND
WORSE.
>> AT 45 YEARS OLD MARK WAS
FACING KNEE REPLACEMENT
SURGERY BUT HE AND HIS WIFE
EYEWITNESS NEWS REPORTER LEE
ANN SOUTER LEARNED MARK WAS
A CANDIDATE FOR BONE AND
CARTILAGE TRANSPLANT.
UNLIKE ORGAN TRANSPLANTS
DONATED BONE AND TISSUE
AREN'T AS DIFFICULT TO MATCH.
THERE ARE STILL SPECIFIC
NEEDS THAT MUST BE MET.
MARK NEEDED A DONOR WHO WAS
YOUNG AND SIMILAR IN SIZE.
>> IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF
THING.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO MATCH IT
BECAUSE WE'RE AFRAID OF
REJECTION BY THE BODY.
WE'RE TRYING TO MATCH IT
BECAUSE WE NEED A GOOD
GEOMETRIC FIT AUTOSIT ON
THAT WAITING LIST I DON'T
KNOW HOW TO SAY THIS
DELICATELY BUT IT'S A GOOD
NEWS, BAD NEWS AS MUCHUATION
FOR OBVIOUS REASONS AND I'M
SO LUB -- LUCKY THAT SOMEONE
KNEW MORE ABOUT TISSUE
DONATION THAN I DID.
>> THAT SOMEONE PROVED TO BE
A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN.
WHO DIED AND WHOSE DONATED
KNEE AND CARTILAGE HAS GIVEN
MARK A CHANCE TO LIVE PAIN-FREE.
BRIAN STEWART OF ONE LEGACY
SAYS CLOSE TO A MILLION
PEOPLE ACROSS THE U.S.
BENEFIT FROM SOME TYPE OF
DONATED TISSUE EVERY YEAR.
>> JUST BECAUSE IT IS NOT
NECESSARILY SAVING THE LIFE
IN THE MOST DRAMATIC
CIRCUMSTANCE DOESN'T MEAN IT
ISN'T PROVIDING THE MOST
DRAMATIC BENEFIT SO SOMEONE
WHO WOULD OTHERWISE SUFFER A
LIFETIME OF PAIN, A LIFETIME
OF BLINDNESS.
IT'S A TREMENDOUS GIFT.
>> THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE
WITH CANCER AND TUMORS ABOUT
THESE REGIONS THESE DONORS
ARE SAVING THEIR EXTREMITIES
AS OPPOSED TO HAVING TO
AMPUTATE THE EXTREMITY E WE
CAN USE A DONOR'S TISSUE AND
SALVAGE.
>> WHILE HIS STORY MAY NOT
BE AS DRAMATIC AS A HEART
TRANSPLANT THE GIFT SEEMS TO
TOUCH HIM IN THE SAME WAY.
>> AND I HAVE THE POSSIBLE
TO DO THIS BECAUSE SOMEONE
WAS A TISSUE DONOR.
IT REALLY TOUCHES YOUR HEART
DEEPLY.