Paying It Forward to Help Save Lives

In 1988, Brother Bruce Edwards, P.M., Williamson Lodge No. 307, Womelsdorf, received a corneal transplant to restore sight in his right eye after a recurrent viral infection scarred his cornea. A corneal transplant is an operation to replace part of the cornea with corneal tissue from a donor.

In 2008, his daughter, Melissa, 17, was tragically killed in a car accident. Bruce and his wife, Carolyn, agreed to donate her tissue to help save someone else’s life. Donated tissue can include skin, heart valves, ligaments and bones used in transplant procedures.

In 2017, Bruce’s son, Brother Greg Edwards, S.W, Williamson Lodge No. 307, became a living organ donor, making the decision to donate half of his liver to help save a co-worker’s life.

“My son has always been an unselfish, giving person, but he may not have donated if not for our family’s experience and how involved we were with organ donation after Melissa was killed,” Bruce said. “It was a very positive experience.”

Bruce continues to pay it forward. Through his role as an active Mason and his personal connection to organ and tissue transplantation, he has become a strong supporter of the Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program. Today, he is one of 13 Masonic Organ Donor Ambassadors in Pennsylvania, each of whom have a personal connection to life-saving organ transplantation.

“As an ambassador, I can share my personal story and explain the need for organ donation, the lives it saves and why it’s important to become a donor,” Bruce said. “I speak to different lodges, sometimes with my son.” Bruce is also the Blood and Organ Donation Chairman for District 7.
Bruce has volunteered for years with the Gift of Life Donor Program in Philadelphia, the nation’s leading organ procurement organization. He also serves on the Governor’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee, after being appointed by former Gov. Tom Corbett.

The Masonic Blood+Organ Donor Program promotes Masonic blood drives throughout Pennsylvania. It also heightens awareness and provides educational materials on blood and organ donation, including living donations. All Pennsylvania Masons and women’s Masonic groups are eligible for membership in the program. The program recently partnered with NMDP, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match, to assist those facing blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases.

Bruce is a retired member of the Pennsylvania State Police, where he spent 27 years and was President of the Troopers Association. Through that position, he was instrumental in helping to update Pennsylvania’s organ donor laws. The legislation, passed in 2018, provides better access to organ donation, including tissue donation, as well as public education about the donation process and its importance.

“We were the first in the nation to have an organ donor law (thanks to Gov. Casey of Pennsylvania, who received a new heart and liver in 1993), but we were one of only five states that did not have the law updated until recently. It was a real challenge, but I was helpful because I was used to dealing with senators and representatives and was familiar with the lobbying process.”

More than 113,000 Americans and over 6,600 Pennsylvanians are currently on the national transplant waiting list, according to Dwendy Johnson, Community Relations Supervisor for the Gift of Life Donor Program in southern New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and the state of Delaware.

One person is added to the waiting list every eight minutes, and on average, 17 people die each day while waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, Dwendy said. In 2023, 2,155 people in Pennsylvania were given a second chance at life when they received a transplant.

“We rely on our dedicated ambassadors, like Bruce, to educate the community about organ and tissue donation and transplantation,” Dwendy said. “Our programs welcome donor family members, transplant recipients, living donors, friends and others who have been touched by a donation and/or transplantation to share their experience and contribute to Gift of Life’s education and outreach efforts.”

“While 95% – 98% of the public believe in organ donation, only 49% of Pennsylvanians have registered to be organ donors,” Bruce said.

The reason for this may have to do with misconceptions about the process, which Bruce continues to try to dispel.

“Some people think if they donate an organ, the doctors won’t try to save them if something happens. Others think their religion won’t allow them to do it, but all the major religions agree on organ donations. Some people are just scared. But if you would accept a donation to help save your or your loved one’s life, why wouldn’t you give one? Why would you not want a healthy organ to help save someone else if something happens to you?”

“We’ve really started growing awareness, and the support we’re getting is amazing,” he added. “It goes to show people are inspired to help save lives.”