Somewhere a 37-year-old woman lies in a hospital bed, her faith diminishing as quickly as her body.  A man sits alone without hope.  The deep blue eyes of a 7-year-old child peer through a window at children riding their bikes, wishing she could join them.  This ...

I am living anew in Kentucky, striving to make each moment rich and enriching for someone else.

Since my multi-organ transplant in 2006, I have married, and welcomed two additional grandchildren into my heart and family.

My scarred body reminds me da...

When I was 21 years old, I married my college sweetheart.  His name was Bryan Hopper and he was 24 years old.

Bryan had Becker's Muscular Dystrophy, but that did not slow him down.  He was active in church and was studying for his engineering degree at Wes...

On April 17th, 2000, Katelynn Don Floyd of Sebree, Kentucky received a life saving liver transplant at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Katie was born healthy and alert on April 1st, 1999.  One month later, in May, she was hospitalized with RS...

I was informed I had liver problems about 8 years ago during a routine insurance physical.  I have always been in good health and have been a non-drinker all my life, so as you can imagine, it was a big shock to me.  My local doctor sent me to Vanderbilt where I'v...

A favorite quote of mine comes from Ann Lopez, wife of comedian George Lopez:  "Nobody should have two kidneys until everybody has one kidney."  Ann donated a kidney to her husband, who is healthy and funny as ever.

As for me, Mark Maloney, I am a Nicholas...

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a disease called Hemochromatosis, a blood disease that causes your body to have too much iron.  As a result of the disease, I developed cirrhosis of the liver and would need a liver transplant to survive.  I was placed on the ...

In January of 2008, I received a phone call from the National Marrow Donor Program that I had been identified as a potential match for a 40-year-old female with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).  I had been on the donor list for five years, and actually had forgott...

The most difficult part of waiting for a heart transplant is knowing that for you to have another chance at life, someone else's has to end.  My joy at receiving a new heart on June 2nd, 2001 was tempered by the knowledge that the family of my donor, a 23 year old ...

It was an ordinary Wednesday, March 27, 1996 when Neil left for work to deliver mail on his rural mail route.  He was about a mile from the Gracey post office when he became very ill.  He drove back to the post office and honked for help.  The clerk called an amb...

You have hopes and dreams for your children.  They are supposed to grow up, live wonderful lives, and have children of their own.  They are not supposed to die before you.  But ours did.  Our son, Shay Jr., was only 21 when he died.

Shay was the perfect so...

Judith Bibb worked at the Fruit of the Loom factory in Campbellsville for many years.  She enjoyed her job, but the strains from her work caused tendonitis and required several medications to keep the symptoms at bay.  In 2004, her health worsened and it was disco...

Although he was four weeks premature, Levi was born healthy; but at two weeks old, he went into shock.  Emergency surgery revealed a birth defect called malrotation.  With malrotation, the intestine is not anchored inside the abdomen.  This allowed the intestine ...

We lost our son, Paul, in a horrible car crash when he was only 26 years-old.  I thought I could not live without him, and as much as I wanted the world to stop, it did not.  I still have to wake up each morning and face a new day without one of my children.  Tha...

Joyce Berry is a diabetic, and this disease caused her kidneys to fail.  On her birthday, November 26, 2007, Joyce was placed on the national waiting list for a life-saving kidney transplant.  She also began dialysis, a medical process that does the work of kidn...

In 1994, Betty Lingenfelter began experiencing health problems.  She was retaining fluid and battling severe fatigue.  After many tests, it was discovered she had contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion she had received in 1981.  The disease could be mana...

As a nurse, Janet Harris, a Franklin County resident, had been in many intensive care units over the years, but this time it was different.  This time it was her sister, Julie, lying in the bed.

"My sister appeared healthy by all outward appearances and was l...

In 2005, I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle.  When the diagnosis was made, it was discovered that my heart was functioning at only 11% of its capacity.  I received a defibrillator, but knew ultimately I would need a heart transpla...

The Price family of Louisville knows what it means to give the gift of life as well as what it means to receive it.

Andreas Price, the youngest of the three Price children, was diagnosed at the age of 15 with chronic glomerulonephritis, a type of kidney diseas...

Imagine you're healthy and full of life, then suddenly faced wtih a deadly prognosis.  That happened to me when I was diagnosed with Goodpasture's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease in which the body's own defense system attacks the lungs and kidneys.  This disease d...

Human beings are doubters by nature, and I am no exception.  Whenever I heard stories about angels appearing and speaking to someone, I had my doubts.  I am now a true believer - a believer who has been blessed with the opportunity of a second chance.

About ...

When I registered to be an organ donor, I never realized the impact organ donation would make on my life.  It all happened early morning, May 2, 2008, when I received a phone call that forever changed my life.

My son, Ryan, died from a gunshot wound to the he...

Zachary Hutchens was a giving 22 year-old man.  He was a very special, thoughtful person, who never met a stranger and always cared for those in need.  Zac supported organ donation and shared with his family and friends that he was on the Kentucky Organ Donor Regi...

Whitney Emberton was a young and beautiful 15 year-old; full of life and potential.  Instantly, her entire future was taken away when Whitney was killed in an automobile crash caused by a drunk driver on July 4, 1998.

Although she was not old enough to have a...

My husband, Gary Gentry, had a massive heart attack on July 10, 1992, and I am so thankful that we had previously discussed organ donation.  Because I knew his wishes, the decision for him to become a donor was not my choice, but his.

The damage from the hear...

On May 22, 2004, Preston, our 18 year-old son, was driving home from Project Graduation after being up all night, celebrating with his friends.  Less than a mile from our home, he fell asleep at the wheel and did not survive his accident.

Preston was a young ...

Dale Griffey's favorite Bible verse was "What greater love can a man have than to lay down his life for another."  He lived that verse to the fullest when he became an organ donor in 1995.

Dale made the decision to become a donor after meeting a family whose ...

January 2009, my daughter Amber Dawn Poynter suffered a massive brain aneurysm.  Her passing was unexpected, painless and immediate.  She was 27 years old and the mother of three small children.

She and I talked many times over the years about the importance...

My name is DeEbra Randall and I am a two-time kidney transplant recipient.  In 1978, at the age of 17, I experienced kidney failure.  Doctors didn't know what had caused my kidneys to fail because I did not have kidney disease.  When my kidneys were removed, they...

After her second heart condition in January 2001, Nancy Watts of Fayette County couldn’t believe her ears. The heart condition and high blood pressure had put such stress on her kidneys that they were destroyed and she would need to g...

Lexington native Jim Crouch, followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Marine Corps after two years of college. After proudly serving his country for three years Jim was scheduled to be discharged from the military with ...

If you ask Louisville’s Goldie Henton or “Ms. Goldie” as she is known to many, who she has to thank for her second chance at life she will tell you straight away, “I owe it all to God, my family, my donor and my donor’s family.”

What would you do if you thought you had a cold with flu-like symptoms such as nausea, headaches, and fatigue? Would you call in sick to work? Stay in bed for a few days? This is exactly what Louisville native and life long resident

Monroe County’s Amelia Brown is a testament to what sheer will, determination and the miracle of organ donation can accomplish. This doctoral student at the University of Kentucky wasn’t about to let illness stand in the way of her...

Little Allie Roberts was only seven months old when a tragic automobile accident took her life in Hancock County in November, 2004. Her family made the momentous decision that she would be an organ and tissue donor in order to save other infants’ lives.

The ...

Franklin County resident, Anita Harrod, had no idea that a silent killer lay dormant in her liver until she went to the doctor one day in the spring of 2001.

“I just became lethargic and would lie on the couch all day and that just wasn’t me.  I also deve...

The Pusateri family knows what it means to receive an incredible gift from a stranger when it was needed the most.

Many people in Louisville has heard of the Pusateri family and their generosity to those in need.  Whether it's fulfilling the wishes of an Extr...