Montana Hearts (16 page)

Dear Reader,

Sarah's story is purely a work of fiction; the need for organ transplants is all too real.

According to the Mayo Clinic, 101,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant, the gift of life, and the list grows by three hundred people every month.

Each day, approximately seventy-seven people receive an organ transplant. However, each day nineteen people die waiting for a transplant.

Becoming a donor is easy:

• Register with your state's donor registry.
  
• Sign and carry a Uniform Donor Card, or indicate your willingness to donate on your driver's license application
  
• Talk to your family members about your wish to be a donor.
  

My driver's license indicates I'm willing to be an organ donor, and I've talked with my husband about my wishes.

For more information about becoming an organ donor:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/transplant/organ-donation.html

1. Have you or anyone you know been a recipient of an organ transplant? If so, how is that person's health now?
   
2. Do you think people who receive an organ transplant take on elements of the donor's personality? Why or why not?
   
3. Do you or any of your friends have religious objections to giving or receiving an organ transplant? Why or why not?
   
4. Have you discussed with your family members your wishes about donating your organs should the situation arise? If yes, what was your family's reaction? How do your family members feel about donating their own organs in a similar situation?
   
5. Do you think Sarah was right to contact the family of the woman she thought her new heart came from? Why or why not?
   
6. In this story, Sarah became a hospital volunteer in order to “pay forward” the blessings she has received. What motivates you and others to volunteer in your community?
   
7. Has guilt or loss of a loved one ever caused you to
   lose faith in the Lord? If so, how have you sought to restore your faith?
   
8. What strains exist in a marriage if one partner has a strong religious faith and the other doesn't?
   
9. Would you enjoy living on a cattle ranch? Or in a small town? Why or why not?
   
10. The lovely poem “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson has inspired millions of people since it was originally written in 1936. http://footprints-inthe-sand.com. What poem inspires you?
    
11. Sarah enlisted Beth in the effort to restore the garden her mother had loved. Have you used your love of gardening to touch the hearts of others?
    
12. Do you think it would be fun to entertain children as a ventriloquist? Or by doing face painting? What skills do you have that you'd like to share with children?
    
13. How would you feel if you had agreed it was necessary to take a loved one off life support? How would you reach the decision?
    
14. Montana is a land of blue skies and beautiful sunsets. Where were you when you saw your most memorable sunset?
    
15. The people in the fictional community of Sweet Grass Valley and the members of Good Shepherd
    Community Church were close to one another. What can you do to strengthen the ties within your community and your church family?