Placenta donation honors, helps late sibling to live on
COSHOCTON — Marlee Sindelar will make sure her daughter knows about the tissue donation she made at birth and how it put her in the footsteps of the uncle she’ll unfortunately never meet.
Dean Poole II died in a traffic crash in June 2011 at the age of 18. Just three months before his death, Dean renewed his driver’s license and made the decision to be an organ and tissue donor. At the time, his mother, Jacqueline Poole, made sure Dean understood what that meant. It wasn’t until his death that she said she truly understood it herself. It was a way for Dean to live on.
Since then, Marlee and Jacqueline have been involved with Lifeline of Ohio. This included participating in the Torch Run for Life in 2016 and in 2017 Dean’s name was engraved on a donor memorial in Columbus.
Marlee gave birth to her daughter Kaylee on March 25 at Genesis Hospital in Zanesville. It was three day’s before her brother’s birthday. Marlee and her husband, David, also have a 5-year-old son named for his uncle, Kobe Dean.
Through working with Lifeline, Marlee knew of the placenta donation program and signed up for it before giving birth. Genesis joined the program in 2019 and 170 placentas have been donated since then through the hospital, Lifeline of Ohio reported.
“When I talked to Lifeline about this, I got choked up. I thought about my brother and his gift,” Marlee said. “The fact that I can help others with Kaylee, it was kind of a humbling and bittersweet moment.”
Many people know about the organ, eye and tissue donations made by those who have died, but Lifeline knows placenta donation is much less known. For each placenta donated, about 25 healing grafts are made. Such grafts can help minimize scarring for burn victims and reduce the need for amputation for diabetics with foot ulcers. Placenta can also be used to treat spinal and corneal injuries.
“I knew whenever I would have another child it was something I wanted to do,” Marlee said of the placenta donation. “It was a way to honor my brother. His niece can help carry on his legacy of donation this way. I know he’d be tickled that we could do this.”
Marlee said she has friends with a grandson who was a burn victim and she also knows several diabetics.
“I know people in my life, it might not help them specifically, but their type of injuries,” Marlee said. “If (placenta) can be used to help people and, as they say, it’s no harm, no foul, then why not do it.”
If Marlee has more children, she will donate the placenta again. She would encourage any pregnant woman to sign up for the donation.
“As one of the happiest moments in life was playing out, I was also so proud that one of the first things my daughter and I got to do together was donating our placenta,” Marlee said.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.