Nobody's getting a better Christmas present than did Masin Hawkins.

Masin, 15, received the gift of life.

At this writing, the Post Falls High School freshman still was immersed in the critical stages of recovery after having a heart transplant Saturday. But his prognosis is good, and there is some hope he might be able to go home from Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for Christmas.

"Miracle" probably is an appropriate word used to describe Masin's ascension from a death bed. When the boy was opened up, doctors said, a heartbeat wasn't even discernible. Months of waiting came down to minutes in which the window of life was slamming shut. A perfect heart came Masin's way because of the tragic death of another child far away, and even bad weather and a host of other critical factors could not keep the healthy heart from finding an ideal home.

The efforts of so many people merging to give Masin a new lease on life defies individual recognition. Not the least have been Masin's medical staff at Sacred Heart, his family and fellow heart transplant survivor Dave Eubanks, who embraced the role of Masin's mentor and clung to hope right along with the boy and his family while imploring Masin to remain positive.

If there's a broader lesson in this miracle for the rest of us, it is this: Each of us has a choice to become an organ donor. Our final act of kindness can impact someone just like Masin.

According to organdonor.gov, right now more than 110,000 Americans are waiting for an organ. Every day, 18 people die waiting for an organ. One organ donor can save as many as eight lives.

Registration to become a donor takes less than five minutes. You can do it online by going to: https://www.yesidaho.org/register/

We encourage you to sign up today and to also prepare yourself in case the worst thing imaginable were to happen to one of your kids. That's the decision a family somewhere far from here made under the most difficult circumstances. Because of their benevolence, one child's death saved another's life.