Recipient Stories

Recipient Stories

Organ, eye and tissue donations can have a lasting impact on transplant recipients and their loved ones. Hear real-life stories from individuals who have received lifesaving and life-enhancing transplants, thanks to the generosity of donors and their families.

Gentleman Nguyen

Gentleman Nguyen

After his liver transplant, Gentleman spends his time going to the gym and living a healthy life to take care of the gift he received, thanking his donor and donor family every day.

Shortly after Thanksgiving 2012, Gentleman received the call that a liver was waiting for him. “I have much to be thankful for and feel better now than I have in a long time,”  he said.

Sarah Grant

Sarah Grant & Tori Walker

In desperate need of a kidney transplant, Tori wrote a poem called “Are You the One?” and posted it on the Facebook page of her church. Sarah saw the poem and answered “yes.”

Generous, giving and compassionate are just a few of the words used to describe Sarah. As a wife, mother and intensive care trauma nurse, it is these characteristics that make her so good at her job – and the perfect person to donate one of her kidneys to nearly a complete stranger.

Brendan Elam's family

Brendan Elam

After being knocked off the waiting list several times because he was too sick for a transplant, Brendan’s second chance came and he received the new liver that would save his life.

Brendan was born with a genetic disorder that eventually led to liver failure. In March 2012, he was placed on the liver transplant list, and the wait for him and his family began. After being knocked off the list several times because he was too sick for a transplant, his second chance came and Brendan received the transplant that would save his life.

Read about donor families and the impact their loved ones made, or tell us about your own personal experience with organ donation.