MTN Staff Spotlight – Midge Dempsey
August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month, a collaborative initiative to save and improve the quality of life of diverse communities by creating a positive culture for organ, eye and tissue donation.
Midwest Transplant Network will recognize and support National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month with a series of original content featuring community partners, staff and volunteer Ambassadors who represent diversity and the mission to give hope and share life. We hope you enjoy the perspectives of our friends!
Midge Dempsey, Family Services Coordinator
Midge Dempsey, Family Services Coordinator, Midwest Transplant Network.
Midge Dempsey is a Family Services Coordinator in the Wichita, Kansas, satellite office. She joined Midwest Transplant Network in 2017. Her career in healthcare includes being a labor and delivery nurse. She earned a Bachelor of Science from St. Mary of the Plains College, and is from Wichita.
What’s your career experience in healthcare?
I am a bachelor’s prepared RN, specializing in maternal-child nursing, including labor and delivery, postpartum care, lactation consulting and childbirth education. I have experience spanning hospital settings, obstetrics and gynecology offices, and public health home visits. I’ve expanded my skills by developing a parish nurse program at my church. I’m a member of the Wichita Black Nurses Association and volunteer to educate the community about preventive health with a focus on whole-body wellness.
When you’re meeting a family in a hospital, how do you explain what you do?
When engaging with families at the hospital, I introduce myself as a family support advocate who helps families as they navigate end-of-life decisions, and I offer support throughout the process.
How has working in this field influenced your perspective of organ, eye and tissue donation?
This may seem surprising, but working in this field was NEVER on my radar, nor did I have a desire to pursue it. When Nicole Fox initially approached me about this position, it was a hard NO!
After learning more about Midwest Transplant Network, I was guided toward a path aligned with my interests. I found inspiration on the website to help others live their best lives, which has informed my perspective on organ, eye and tissue donation, and strengthened my resolve to stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves, and with the belief that someone would advocate for me, if needed.
Months later, she approached me again, and the rest is history!
What does organ donation mean to you?
Organ donation, to me, means happiness, health and wealth. It is a commitment to care for others beyond ourselves. By choosing to donate, I honor both the gift I could give and the countless lives that could be transformed.
How does your cultural identity influence your conversations about organ donation?
My cultural identity deeply shapes how I talk about organ donation with others. I was inspired by the underrepresentation of donors who look like me or resemble me. My focus has been on the historical experiences of my ancestors in health care, which opened my eyes to the reasons organ donation may be viewed through a different lens in my race.
I’ve witnessed the difference organ donation can make in a life, and I want to be part of that gift. Respect for life, unity and love are central in my culture, and I don’t want these values to go unrecognized in the field of organ, eye and tissue donation.
From your experience, what would you say to someone who is unsure about being a registered organ, eye and tissue donor?
I would simply ask, “Do you want to live?” and then welcome the discussion that stems from it.
Name one thing you have ZERO talent for but would love to do for 15 minutes if you were graced with the talent.
I have zero talent for singing, but I’d love to sing a song so powerful that it fosters peace, love and harmony in the world. I would hope that people feel that when they hear it. Can you imagine a life of goodness – no jealousy, hate or envy, where people treat others as they wish to be treated? Now that would be a powerful song!
Name five songs on the soundtrack to your life.
“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “Take Me to the King” by Tamela Mann, “I’m Every Woman,” by Chaka Khan, and any song by CeCe Winans. There are too many to list.
It’s summer. What’s your favorite summer memory?
Each summer our family gathered for a large family reunion. I would reconnect with relatives from all over, and we spent three full days together filled with entertaining dance and singing contests, food, church and updates on one another’s lives. I often arranged visits with cousins who lived in other states to see them during the year.
What book are you reading or listening to?
“When God Doesn’t Fix It” by Laura Story, and “Grief S.U.C.K.S.” by Stephanie Stovall, a friend whose husband died unexpectedly.
Speaking softly, Yahaira Meléndez describes her wife, Stephanie, as the brightest person she has ever known. She was beautiful inside and out with a love for singing and dancing. The couple first met while working at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico where Stephanie was a concierge and Yahaira was a bartender.
