A gift straight from the heart
This year was a roller coaster for me and my husband as I faced the challenge of a lifetime. After dealing with congenital heart disease, it was determined that it was time for a transplant. So, on Jan. 16, I was put on the list at Stanford and told to go home and “wait for the call.”
We went about our lives as normally as possible and on March 16 we got “the call” that they had a heart for me. I received a beautiful, beating heart from a wonderful, generous, kind and loving soul who is now in heaven. I will be forever grateful to this person and their family for giving me a second chance at life.
My hope for this year is two-fold. First, I hope that I can thank him or her in person. Maybe if this person can see me living and thriving with my new heart, it might ease their pain.
Secondly, I urge people to think about organ donation. There are many people who are in need of an organ donation. The success rate is extremely high, and people can live long and healthy lives.
Karen Collins, Clovis
This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 5:46 AM with the headline "A gift straight from the heart."