"Give my sight to the man who has
never seen a sunrise...Give my heart to
a person whose own heart has caused
nothing but endless days of pain.  Give
my blood to the teenager who was
pulled from the wreckage of  his car.

Give my kidneys to one who depends on
a machine to exist.  Take my bones,
every fibre and nerve in my body and
find a way to make a crippled child
walk...

Burn what is left of me and scatter the
ashes to the winds to help the flowers
grow.

If you must bury something, let it be my
faults, my weakness, and all prejudice
against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.  Give my soul
to God.

If, by chance, you wish to remember
me, do it with a kind deed or word to
someone who needs you.

If you do all I ask, I shall live forever."

-- This poem was read at the opening ceremony of the
XI World Transplant Games in Sydney, Australia, by
the emcee, Alan Jones.  It was given to him by the late
Darby Ross, a heart transplant recipient who represented
Australia at The World Transplant Games in Vancouver
and in Manchester.

Last modified: 11 May 2000