Lung Transplant Recipient’s Memorial Quilt Honors Fallen Officer

Written by Beatrice Karnes

Livermore resident Michael Lause almost didn’t get the transplant that saved his life. The just-right lungs that fit his tall frame were donated by fallen Richmond Police Officer Brad Moody. But as Moody lay in a hospital bed, doctors asked his wife Susan if they could remove his organs for donation. She told them no.

Left alone with her husband who was kept alive by beeping, whooshing machines, Susan began to question her decision. She thought about his role as a police officer. As Lause relates the story, she came to the conclusion, “You saved lives your whole life, why not save lives at the end of your life?”

When hospital staff arrived with the paperwork that would have authorized them to turn off the machines, Susan asked if it was too late to change her mind. That change of heart saved Lause and the lives of four other transplant recipients.

“I feel very honored,” Lause says of receiving Moody’s lungs. He has personally met Susan and thanked her for her decision.

Lause feels a kinship for police officers who risk their lives every day to keep their communities safe. He has a quilt honoring police departments that he takes to schools, community events and, on Tuesday of this week, to the swearing-in ceremony for new police officers in Livermore. The quilt bears the emblems of police departments from communities that were important in his life, and in Moody’s. The fallen officer’s widow Susan helped gather the patches.

“I feel that Brad’s inside of me and they (the patches) radiate out from Brad and me,” Lause said.

Standing in front of the memorial quilt Tuesday, Lause emphasized the importance of making sure that family members know your wishes about organ donation. “It’s so important to have it known ahead of time. It’s a tough time and it takes the pressure off relatives to have the decision already made.”

Lause received Moody’s lungs in 2008. When asked how he feels, his face lights up as he enthusiastically replies, “I feel great!” So great that Lause plays golf, goes hunting and enjoys other physical activities.