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WINDSOR – Benjamin James said that one day he suddenly wasn’t feeling well, so he went to the emergency room to figure out what was wrong.

“Half an hour later, they had me on a helicopter, flying me to Greenville. And I ain’t been back home since,” he said.

That was three years ago.

“It happened so quick,” explained James, who now resides in Windsor Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.

Originally from Ahoskie, James will be 59 years old next month. He’s worked a variety of jobs over the years. In his younger days, he did physical work like carpentry and painting, but decided to switch gears in his 40s by going to school and getting his certifications. His last job while he was still able to work was as a wastewater operator.

But his sudden illness has left him bedridden now. The doctors said he has liver disease, probably due to years of drinking. And now he has to get fluid drained every other week through a procedure called paracentesis. His muscles have deteriorated due to a loss of protein, leaving him unable to even walk.

James is hoping to get on the list of people waiting for a liver transplant.

“There’s a lot of people who need it, but a lot of people who don’t know nothing about it,” he explained about organ donation.

Many people have to wait a long time for an organ transplant. And to complicate matters, the doctors have to make sure the organ is a good match for the patient beforehand, to help avoid rejection.

“The more people on the [donor] list, the better chance I can find a match,” he explained.

That’s why James is encouraging people to sign up to become an organ donor. He said he’s been signed up as a donor himself since he got his driver’s license back when he was 18 years old.

He also pointed out that organ donors can help more than one person, since they’re usually able to donate multiple organs as well as their eyes and other tissue after they pass away.

“People need to start getting on the organ donor list,” he said. “I just want people to be aware of it.”

For more information about how to become an organ donor in North Carolina, visit donatelifenc.org.

The website also answers frequently asked questions about organ donation, and shares stories from those whose lives have been impacted by the gift of an organ transplant.