Dave Murphy

Dave Murphy

Murphy's Law

Like many people, Dave Murphy of Peru, Indiana had never seriously thought about organ donation. Then his son-in-law, Dana, was in an automobile accident and life-lined to the hospital. Though Dana and his wife, Leslie, had been married only a little over a year, they had been friends since the 7th grade, so Dana had been part of the family for a long time. When he was declared brain dead, an IOPO family services representative talked with the family about organ donation. Dave says, "Frankly, I was stunned. But Leslie said they had discussed it and Dana wanted to be a donor. His kidneys, heart, liver and pancreas were donated."

Though he suspected he had liver disease, Dave was even more stunned about three months later when his physician told him he needed a transplant. After the evaluation period and being put on the transplant waiting list, he waited approximately five months before he received a liver at the IU Health Transplant Center at IU Health University — exactly one year after his son-in-law was an organ donor.

Dave says, "I was one of the lucky ones. One of the main reasons for the critical shortage is people like me — people who don’t make a donation decision. They think ‘it will never happen to me.’ I felt the same way. But donation and transplantation have touched my family not once, but twice."

Since his transplant, Dave has thought seriously about a lot of things. He says, "Life is totally different. You know, it’s easy to get in a comfortable rut and not notice the clock ticking. Then, suddenly, you realize your time may run out. My new life has given me an opportunity to try new things. I don’t need to be entertained anymore — there’s ample entertainment in everyday things."

Dave had been in manufacturing for 25 years, but decided he wasn’t going back to an office. He’s now taking classes at the IVY Tech campus in Kokomo in hopes of pursuing a career in nursing.

Dave is also a hard-working Volunteer for IOPO. He talks about donation at BMV recognition events, churches, school groups and other organizations.

Dave says, "Sometimes when I ask people if they have registered to be a donor they say, ‘I haven’t really thought about it.’

"Then I ask, ‘If you had a parent, child or loved one who needed a life-saving organ transplant, would you want them to get it?’ They answer, ‘Of course.’ Then I wait for them to make the connection.

"When you do think about it, it seems pretty simple: if no one donates organs, no one receives organs. So if you’re willing to take an organ to save your life or that of a loved one, you should be willing to give when your life is ending."