Sarah Gray: How my son's short life made a lasting difference
Sarah Gray: Jak krótkie życie mojego syna trwale wpłynęło na świat
Sarah Gray found meaning in tragic loss by donating the organs of her newborn son to advance scientific research. Full bio
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went to my second sonogram.
we had a higher risk
the standard birth defects,
that we were about to face.
that one of our twins, Thomas,
że jeden z bliźniaków, Thomas,
called anencephaly.
was not formed correctly
typically die in utero
umierają w macicy
or days of being born.
godzin, dni od narodzin.
as far as the doctor could tell,
how this could have possibly happened,
was not impossible,
for the healthy twin and for me,
the pregnancy to term.
donosić ciążę do końca.
with two trimesters ahead of me,
z dwoma trymestrami przede mną,
my blood pressure and my stress.
by poradzić sobie z ciśnieniem i stresem.
point a loaded gun at you for six months.
który celuje do mnie przez sześć miesięcy.
the barrel of that gun for so long
at the end of the tunnel.
to prevent the tragedy,
for Thomas's brief life
eye and tissue donation.
o donację organów, oczu i tkanek.
która odpowiada za proces donacji organów,
organ-procurement organization,
Transplant Community.
at birth to donate for transplant,
you could be rejected for that.
że można spotkać się z odmową.
a good candidate to donate for research.
dobrym kandydatem do badań.
to unlock a medical mystery.
do rozwiązania medycznej zagadki.
and they were both born alive.
the top part of his skull,
like a normal baby,
jak normalne dziecko.
w ramionach Rossa,
którzy przyjechali,
National Medical Center.
National Medical Center.
that the recovery was a success,
pobranie się udało
would be going to four different places.
pójdą w cztery różne miejsca.
to Duke University.
company called Cytonet in Durham.
Cytonet w Durham.
to Schepens Eye Research Institute,
Schepens Eye Research Institute,
to the University of Pennsylvania.
do Uniwersytu Pensylwanii.
with our immediate family,
w otoczeniu najbliższej rodziny,
closed this chapter in our lives.
what's happening now?
co dzieje się teraz.
to a grief retreat,
na spotkanie dla osób w żałobie,
15 other grieving families
organs for transplant.
do transplantacji.
their loved one's organs,
could even meet each other
że mogą nawet się spotkać,
I thought maybe I could write a letter
and learn about what happened.
by móc dowiedzieć się więcej.
for people who donate for transplant.
że robi się to tylko przy transplantacji.
I had transplant envy, I guess.
Zazdrość transplantologiczną.
why they requested infant retinas
o siatkówki noworodka
could visit their lab.
może odwiedzić laboratorium.
that arranged the donation,
odpowiadającego za tę donację,
send it to the right person.
do właściwej osoby.
never done this before,
and they would deliver it.
of the University of Pennsylvania.
z Uniwersytetu Pensylwanii.
that she is studying retinoblastoma,
nad siatkówczakiem,
do piątego roku życia.
under the age of five,
we were invited to visit her lab.
jest dla niej niewyobrażalne,
imagine how we felt,
the ultimate sacrifice,
to feel indebted to us.
przeciw tym badaniom,
and the system chose your study.
i to on wybrał to badanie.
bad things happen to children every day,
przytrafiają się dzieciom codziennie.
be buried in the ground right now.
a new layer of meaning.
about using this tissue."
że ich używasz".
for this tissue six years earlier
sześć lat wcześniej
Research Interchange.
która spełaniała jej kryteria,
that fit her criteria,
to come visit the lab,
w laboratorium.
which was the twins' fifth birthday.
czyli piąte urodziny bliźnaków.
some pictures of Thomas and Callum,
wysłałam jej zdjęcia Thomasa i Calluma,
we received this T-shirt in the mail.
dostaliśmy pocztą tę koszulkę.
and I piled in the car
not to feel guilty, that it was a relief,
gdy kazałam jej się nie winić,
from our perspective.
z naszej perspektywy.
had a secret code name.
is called HeLa,
from DC to Philadelphia.
przesłano z D.C. do Filadelfii.
is like an heirloom to us now.
or a wedding certificate might be.
Thomas's retina and his RNA
że używa siatkówek oraz RNA Thomasa,
that causes tumor formation,
powodujący powstanie guza.
that were based on RES 360.
otrzymanych dzięki RES 360.
that she still has
when she might get more.
with a birthday gift.
dali Callumowi prezent urodzinowy,
simple messages today.
don't think about donating to research.
nie myśli o donacji dla naukowców.
I think I'm a normal person.
Jestem zwyczajną osobą.
and I recommend it,
które polecam.
with human tissue
że jeśli pracujesz nad ludzką tkanką
and about the family,
kim jest dawca i jego rodzina,
tell them what you're working on,
powiedz o swoich badaniach,
even more gratifying for you
in arranging one of these visits,
all four facilities
którzy robią niesamowite rzeczy.
doing inspiring work.
is that Thomas got into Harvard,
że Thomas dostał się na Harvard,
in order to do their job.
brief and insignificant
krótkie i mało znaczące,
everlasting and relevant.
can be as relevant.
będzie równie ważne.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Gray - Researchers' dream donatorSarah Gray found meaning in tragic loss by donating the organs of her newborn son to advance scientific research.
Why you should listen
While struggling to cope with the loss of their infant son Thomas, Sarah Gray and her family met the researchers who received his eye, liver and cord blood donations. This journey garnered national and international media attention and brought profound peace to the Gray family.
Gray is the director of marketing and public affairs for the American Association of Tissue Banks and a member of the AATB Donor Family Guidance Document Committee. She is author of a forthcoming memoir from HarperOne, A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy's Gift to Medical Science.
Gray holds a BA in Communications from Marquette University and a Masters in Public Communication from American University, where her capstone topic was nondirected kidney donation. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Ross and children, Callum and Jocelyn.
Sarah Gray | Speaker | TED.com