The Grammys and Organ Donation

I did not think I would ever write a blog post with this title, but here were. Earlier this month, Bonnie Raitt won the Grammy for Song of the Year, for “Just Like That’, a song written and composed by her.

The song was inspired by a true story about organ donation that Bonnie had seen on the news, while she was grieving the death of John Prine. We will come back to John later in this post.

The song tells the story of a mother’s journey with organ donation, and how she is finally connected with the donor recipient and hears her son’s heart one more time. It is a beautiful and touching song, and organ donation advocates across North America have applauded the song, and the Grammy win, for bringing more attention to organ donation.

But, let’s get back to John Prine. If you have never heard his music, you must search him out after reading this. He was an American signer-songwriter who was often known for the humour he injected into his lyrics. He and Bonnie Raitt were frequent collaborators. He died of complications from Covid-19 in 2020.

John too had an organ donation song. It is not widely known and, well, is a little less beautiful than “Just Like That”, but the sentiment is equally important. Here is the chorus from “Please Don’t Bury Me”:

Please don’t bury me down in that cold cold ground
No, I’d druther have ’em cut me up and pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane and the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears, if they don’t mind the size

Though very different stylistically, both songs have the same sentiment – consider organ donation.

So, if you haven’t already, head to the Be A Donor site and register to be an organ donor today.

If you have questions about your will or powers of attorney, call or text us at 613-933-7720 today to get started, or fill out an intake here.