Every mother’s wish is for her child to live a long, happy, healthy and full life.

No mother ever wants to have to ask a stranger to help save the life of her child but, for Renate Rackliffe of Owls Head, there is no alternative.

Rackliffe’s daughter, 32-year-old Sandy Lundquist of Rockland, has been on home dialysis for nearly four years and, now, she needs a kidney transplant to be able to lead the life her mother wishes for her.

Unfortunately, no relative of Sandy is a qualified match.

Incredibly, when Renate was tested to see if she was a match, it was discovered she had kidney cancer, and the kidney was removed.

Sandy’s father is considered too old and her stepfather, who was a willing candidate, was denied because he is taking blood pressure medication.

Her brother and sister do not have matching blood types.

As a result, Renate Rackliffe is faced with the unenviable task of having to ask, publicly, for someone to come forward and offer her daughter this most needed gift.

“A donor needs to be type O positive or negative to be a match,” she explained.

However, if anyone with another blood type donates a kidney to someone on the long waiting list for kidney transplants, in Sandy’s honor, Sandy’s name would be put as No. 1 on the existing waiting list in Maine, her mother said.

Rackliffe added that “the kidney transplant program will pay for all tests, all functions and parts that are tested from the donor.”

One recent donor with whom she spoke described the donation as “a minor inconvenience, mostly because she had to travel to Portland many times.”

And, Rackliffe told her daughter, “I will be happy to give my weekly salary to the donor until that person is ready to go to work again. I wished I had enough money to buy her a kidney!”

Rackliffe describes her daughter as “an angel of a young woman, always thinking about others first.”

Lundquist has worked in restaurant management both in Maine and out of state and, her mother said, many people may remember her from the Samoset Resort in Rockport.

Rackliffe appeals to our readers to help her daughter.

“I am praying, so deeply, that there will be someone out there … who wants to help.”

And Rackliffe adds, “your help would be very much appreciated, not just for Sandy, but all the other thousands of people on the waiting list.”

If you are the special person who can help Sandy Lundquist, please call Rackliffe at home, 594-2925; at work, 594-3453; e-mail her at home, rlr671@cs.com or at work, renate.rackliffe@biowhittaker.com.

Teri-Lynn Hall of Charleston and Peggy Gadreau of LaGrange, founders of “The Santa Cause,” wrote the NEWS recently to extend their heartfelt thanks to “all of the individuals, families and businesses that have contributed” to this year’s project that helped make Christmas much happier for needy families in our area.

With the help of “Santa and Mrs. Claus” needy community members received such necessities as winter jackets, boots, clothing and food as well as toys and complete Christmas dinners.

The women believe this project “initiates community spirit, and contributes to the season’s essence by helping to provide Christmas magic to the area’s less fortunate,” they wrote.

In addition to many other personal appearances, “Santa and Mrs. Claus” participated in the town of Charleston’s Christmas party for children, and visited “the Mountain View Development Center where they dispersed gift bags to the incarcerated inmates there.”

The women added, “the administration of the facility continues to be extremely cooperative, supportive and grateful for the Christmas spirit brought to them and the inmates. The Charleston facility has also been a large contributor to The Santa Cause for many years.”

The women want those who participated in this project to know that, “by blessing The Santa Cause with your contributions, you will be blessed in turn.”

Dr. Mary O’Neill, executive director of the American Red Cross Blood Services New England Region, has written the NEWS to remind readers that President George Bush has designated January as National Volunteer Blood Donor Month.

The month is set aside to honor the “Hometown Heroes who save lives every day through the simple, selfless act of giving blood,” O’Neill wrote.

Thousands of people living in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have helped save the lives of countless people through blood donations.

O’Neill pointed out that while “the past year’s headlines were filled with stories of heroism … blood donors quietly save lives every day.”

“The patient who continues to lead a productive life because blood was available does so because someone took the time out of a busy day to visit a blood drive.”

For all associated with the American Red Cross Blood Services-New England Region, and those who benefit from its work, O’Neill thanks you “for continuing to meet the blood needs of patients, whenever and wherever that need exists.”

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.