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Couple celebrates life
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Ella and the Rev. Willie Peterson know firsthand how important it is for someone undergoing an organ or tissue transplant to have family members support them.
On Thanksgiving 2008, Ella underwent a liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic. The Rev. Mr. Peterson was with her at the hospital and afterward. He drove her to her various doctor appointments, ensured she took the right medication at the right time and followed doctor’s orders.
Without him, “I probably wouldn’t be here,” said Ella, his wife of nearly 45 years.
That’s why the couple, through the Center for Community Empowerment, plan a Celebrate Life Emerald Gala at 5 p.m. Saturday at McMenamy’s Banquet Center, U.S. Route 422 in Niles.
They want to raise money so caregivers of donor recipients may stay close to their loved ones.
“We were fortunate to have good insurance,” Ella said. “But it didn’t cover hotel and food.”
The couple’s church conducted a fundraiser to enable Mr. Peterson to stay in Cleveland while his wife remained in the hospital. They want to extend the same kindness to others.
“We want to give back,” Ella said.
David Denovcheck of Niles will be honored at the gala. Last year, Denovcheck donated part of his liver to Jamie, a 5-year-old in the custody of Trumbull County Children Services who likely would have died without a transplant.
Ticket information is available at 330-740-1982. Donations may be sent to the Center for Community Empowerment, 1420 Dogwood Lane, Youngstown 44505. Checks should be made payable to the center with “Emerald Gala” in the memo line. Donations are tax-deductible.
The money will be available to families of organ recipients through LifeBanc, an organ procurement company.
Besides raising money, the couple hopes to raise awareness of organ donation.
There’s a shortage of blacks who are organ donors.
More younger people are agreeing to donate tissue and organs, but fewer older people do.
“People say, ‘I’m taking them all with me,’” Ella said. “I tell them, ‘You don’t need them in heaven, but people need them down here.’”
What if the person who needs a transplant is a loved one, she asks them.
The couple travels every year to an event honoring organ donors and transplant recipients.
This year, Ella will sing at the event.
“Families of donors and recipients gather together, crying and hugging because of the life celebration,” Mr. Peterson said.
Among last year’s attendees was family of a Mahoning Valley man who died in a motorcycle accident. Because the man was an organ donor, he saved the lives of eight people.
Ella released a CD of gospel music, “Standing on the Promises,” with Mr. Peterson as executive producer, celebrating life and her faith in God.
The ordeal allowed Kathy Hammond, a family friend and an organizer of the event, to witness what she says marriage is all about.
Ella said not every marriage would have withstood what theirs did. “Some people tend to walk away when things get hard,” she said.
Mr. Peterson didn’t even think about that.
“I made a promise, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer,” he said.