12 Days of Giving: Day Eight, Rachel
A letter of gratitude from Rachel, a heart recipient.
Rachel celebrating her one year transplant anniversary with the staff at the American Transplant Foundation
“I know very little about my donor family, but want to thank them over and over again for donating the organs of their 21-year-old son. Their lives changed forever, along with my own, on October 9th, 2011. If it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have lived to see Thanksgiving last year.
Now I am back to finishing my graduate work, and was able to move out to Denver, a life long wish.
But I am not the only one who thanks my donor family everyday; all of his transplantable organs were given to other transplant patients waiting in hospitals across the region. He not only saved me, but also seven more people.
I received the most precious gift by a complete stranger. By getting a single person to sign up to be an organ donor, I feel like I am giving back to my donor family.”
– Rachel, heart recipient & American Transplant Foundation intern
A heartfelt thank you to donor families who have given the precious Gift of Life. Thank you for giving life, sharing hope and restoring families by honoring your loved one’s desire to be an organ donor. You are true lifesavers!
Rachel,
Mazol Tov, which means Congratulations in Hebrew, on your transplant. December 27, 2006 was the day I got my liver transplant. I tell people when they ask that its almost like a science fiction movie, when yiou think about it. I will never get used to the idea that they can take an organ out of one person and transplant it into another person … even though I am alive because of it. I have been doing stand up comedy and I talk about my transplant all the time. Then I ask people to sign those donor cards.