Rod Butler didnt recognize the pain associated with organ donation until his son Brock was

affected with Chrohns disease at age 10. Chrohns disease, also known as Chrohns syndrome and regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Further into his diagnosis when he was 14, Brock was eventually told that he needed a new liver in the next 5 years. However, this wasnt the first time Rods life had been affected by the need of organ donation. Rod had previously been afflicted of kerataconus, a disease of the cornea that required replacement. [I] still believed it was a miracle, but didnt recognize the pain of the family that lost their family member, Rod said in his interview. Rod would eventually learn that exact pain in years to come. Brocks struggle since his diagnosis has been nothing but a miraculous battle since then. Brock graduated with honors at Cottonwood high school, was on the swim team, and played the saxophone and guitar. Rod remembered, [I] didnt think he looked unhealthy nowhere near looking like he needed a liver transplant. Brock after high school attended Salt Lake Community College, wanting to be an engineer like his dad. However, his health started to deteriorate and Brock eventually had to miss a couple of tests that fall. Rod recalled, by spring semester, his sickness made it that he couldnt continue in that direction. On July 4 of 2012, Brock had a MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) in the high 30s. Those with liver disease need to be at least 20 to be considered for a new liver. When a liver was presented, Rod recalled, I was so thrilled that this was finally going to happen after all the struggles that Brock has been through. But unfortunately, his health had already deteriorated so much by that time that he wasnt healthy enough to receive a liver. Rod remembers his sons head laying on his own after Brock woke up from an induced coma. Rod told his son he wanted to be a better dad, in which Brock replied, Thats funny dad because Ive always wanted to be just like you. On September 28th, 2013, Brock passed away in a chemically induced coma, 8 days after his 21st birthday. That was 417 days ago, Rod recalled so much goes through your mind about how unfair life is, and it wouldve just taken one [donated liver] for Brock, but it didnt come. Rod said that that is the reason that he is a huge proponent for organ donation today, so that people leave behind for others what the others cant have. The fact of the matter today is that there are still people out there that dont want to be organ donors, most of them on the fence. Whether it be due to religion, or the misconception that they wouldnt get the attention they need when in the emergency room, 25% of Utahans didnt check yes to be an organ donor on their drivers license. Rod urges these people, you can save two people with your lungs, you can save two people with your kidneys, and you can save a person with your

heart and your pancreas as a result of your thinking just enough to check that yes box behind your drivers license.