Mid-America Transplant

12/11/2025

“Sarah was found to have high blood pressure during a camp physical when she was a young teen.

She also was diagnosed with insulin resistance and took medication throughout high school. The medication made her feel tired, so she stopped taking it when she was on her own.

By her early 20s, she began to have some health issues, but doctors found no cause other than high blood pressure.

She was conscientious about her medication after that, but the stress of juggling two jobs, college classes and relationship struggles raised her blood pressure again. At 24, she started dialysis.

After six years, just before her 30th birthday, she got the call.

Her donor was a 23-year-old with a brain injury who had registered as a donor after his cousin had done the same.

Her new kidney began working immediately. On the second morning after surgery, she told her mom, ‘My words are back.’

Stress, along with issues from a mail-order pharmacy that delayed her medication, led to her first post-transplant complications. She began having frequent urinary tract infections and other infections. After four years of success and two years of struggle, she had to return to dialysis.

The first call for a second transplant came just days after Sarah was approved, but the organ was not viable. The waiting began again.

In late August 2025, she received a call from an unknown number late at night. Thinking it was too late for a legitimate call, she almost let it go to voicemail but answered. She learned she was an alternate. About 36 hours later, she got the call to come in.

The new kidney was ‘a little sleepy’ at first but improved day by day. Now, she is meeting all her recovery goals with excellent progress.

The family is deeply grateful to the donor families who made it possible for Sarah to be free from dialysis once again.”

12/11/2025

“The donor and the donor family, they gave truly a selfless gift, without that gift, Macey wouldn’t be back home, back in school, back living her life.” 💙💚

Seventeen-year-old Macey Brown returned to St. Louis Children’s Hospital six weeks after becoming the first child in Missouri to receive a combined heart and kidney transplant.

12/11/2025

"I am a double transplant recipient—going on five years with a liver and four years with a kidney. Life is great. There’s no amount of appreciation I can show for my donors."

—Mark E.

12/09/2025

"In 2022, my world changed forever. My beautiful 16-year-old daughter left this earth far too soon after a tragic car accident. In a moment that shattered our hearts, she became a light for others—a light that still shines today.

Even in her passing, she chose love. She chose generosity. She chose life for those who desperately needed it. Through her organ donation, she saved four people—four families who now get to hold on to hope because of her. And through her joint and tissue donation, she helped so many more regain mobility, healing, and a second chance at the life they thought they lost.

That’s who she was: a giver, a helper, a soul who loved deeply and lived with a heart wide open. She didn’t just leave a legacy; she left a ripple—one that continues to move through strangers, families, communities, and through me every single day.

I miss her with every breath, but I also carry pride. My daughter didn’t just leave this world—she lifted it. Her life was short, but her impact is endless. And in every heartbeat she saved, in every life she touched, she still lives."

—Kelly K.

12/08/2025

"We lost our son, Kyle, five and a half years ago. He gave his corneas and tissues. We received three letters: two from people who received his corneas and another from someone who received his saphenous veins. We also recently learned that his heart valve went to a boy in California, who is now living a full life.

Organ donors are heroes."

—Kacey

12/07/2025

"I am the recipient of a double-lung transplant. I often send a prayer to my donor and his mother. They made the ultimate sacrifice and saved many lives. Thank you, organ donors!"

—Kathy

12/06/2025

"My son Matthew was kind, talented and full of potential. He was just 18, getting ready to graduate from Capital High and study welding in college. He loved working with his hands, listening to classic rock and taking care of his dog, Sprite.

A few months before he passed away, Matthew showed his father his new driver’s license. When his dad saw it said 'organ donor,' he asked, 'Why would you want to give your organs to someone else?' And Matthew said, 'If I don't need them anymore, why not donate them?' He couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to be a donor. He spoke so passionately about it, it was easy to see how important it was to him.

When Matthew died from injuries in a car accident, we didn’t hesitate to honor his wishes. His final act of giving was perhaps his most selfless. He donated his heart, both kidneys, liver, corneas and tissue, saving or helping six people he never got to meet.

One of them was Landyn, a young boy who received one of his kidneys. We’ve been able to meet him, and watching him grow and thrive has brought us comfort. Matthew gave him a second chance and gave us something to hold on to."

—Ann

12/05/2025

"Organ donors are true heroes. I am a liver recipient, and I’m deeply grateful for those who choose to be donors.

My battle began in August 2023, when I became extremely sick. From September through April 2024, there wasn’t a single month I wasn’t hospitalized. I would have died — my MELD score was 38 upon admission. I’m grateful, thankful and blessed. Since my transplant, I’ve had no complications and I’m doing great. Thank you again, organ donors!"

—Tiffany

12/04/2025

"I have had two cornea transplants. I would be totally blind without them.

I had Fuchs corneal dystrophy and also have macular degeneration. I received my implants 16 and 14 years ago. I was able to send thank-you notes to both families of my donors. I think of my donors every day and bless them for their gifts. When I travel, I tell them where we are and again thank them for letting me see this beautiful new place.

Remember, when you are donating organs, corneas can be used even when you are older. So sign that donor card — you never know what else someone might need."

—Penny

12/03/2025

“My husband had a lung transplant 16 years ago. We have been blessed with grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Seventeen years ago, we had never heard of a lung transplant. Thankfully, it was smooth sailing for us compared to others. He only needed one bronchoscopy to clean out the transplanted lung. He walked two miles a day. Even today, he has oxygen levels of 98 to 100.

I believe family support is so important for the recipient.

He is now fighting cancer for the second time. He has pancreatic cancer this time. Doctors here say he has six months to a year, but he is a fighter and thinks he can beat it. We will try together.

Everyone in our family has signed donor cards. I beg everyone: Please be an organ donor. It is so needed right now.”

—Flo L.

12/02/2025

“Have the conversation. The only reason why conversations about organ donation are uncomfortable is because we don’t talk about it.

Our story starts when my son Rocky was involved in a motorcycle accident. He was 22 years old and full of life. He loved to ride, hunt, fish and had recently become a father. Rocky’s biggest belief was there are two days we have no control over in life: when we are born and when we die. He always said, ‘It’s what we do in the dash that counts.’

The night I got that call, I rushed to the scene only to be told he was transported to the hospital. When the doctor finally came to talk with me, he sat knee to knee with me and told me my son suffered a brain injury and they weren’t going to be able to save him.

His brain stem was severely damaged and his body wouldn’t last long. My son was on life support. I was in shock. I just stared at the doctor and couldn’t comprehend what he had said. I remember to this day his blue eyes and the pain in them as he looked at me.

I needed air. I had to walk, so I just got up and started walking. When I came back, friends who had come to the hospital asked if I’d thought about Rocky becoming an organ donor. I just looked at them and said, ‘Organ donor? What is that?’ Then my education began on what would ultimately become Rocky being a donor to seven people, and giving the gift of sight to two others.

In three days, I was educated enough to say yes because Rocky was all about helping those in need during his short 22 years of life. What we could not do for him that day, he alone did for so many going forward. He was able to leave a legacy for his 8-month-old daughter Monique, in knowing as she grew up that her dad was a hero to so many.

Part of my grieving process was to learn more about organ donation, and what we just went through in three days changed my life forever in burying my son. I started telling my story to whoever wanted to know, talking about the challenges for organ donor families, the process, and the new pathway through grief. I took it further and got involved nationally with recipients, learning more about their process of receiving the gift of life and their struggles.

What I quickly learned was how difficult it is for them to say ‘thank you.’ They also grieve our loved one’s death. They know they could never say thank you to that person and feel inadequate. How do you say to a grieving family, thank you?
What I have learned that has brought healing is that our decision to allow Rocky to become a donor was the right choice. Recipients have given me this comfort.
I have also learned it’s important to have the conversation, to understand what your family members want, what you want. This is such an important discussion to have. I never want to see a family go through what we did in that ER room that night. It’s also OK to talk about you
r loved one. I always say, speak their name; this tells me you remember too.
It has been 19 years for us and I think about him every day. Part of my healing has also been in conversations about organ donation. I find it heals me; there are people who have walked this path before me, and if I can help another family walk it, hopefully I can make it a little easier for them.

Take that first step and have a conversation with another donor family, recipient — it does not need to be your loved one’s recipient — and start a conversation. I believe it will make a difference, especially if you are questioning the decisions you or your loved one have made. It certainly has made a difference for me and my journey in grief.

We don’t get over it; we just make room for a different kind of love. Our darkest moments in life have been turned into good and, for a recipient, the two words ‘thank you’ can really start a conversation, just as the words from a donor family that asks ‘How are you?’ can mean so much to a recipient.
I will end with: Have the conversation.”

—Kelly

12/02/2025

"Organ donors are heroes. My son saved five lives through organ donation. It helped with the grief. I know that he lives on through others. God bless anyone who makes that decision."

—Lillie