Explore Transplant & Living Donation

💚 Meet Glenna, living kidney donor, nurse, advocate, and author.

In 2017, Glenna donated her kidney to a stranger, knowing firsthand, as a nephrology nurse, how hard life on dialysis can be.

Her thought: “Too many people die waiting. Living donation gives people their lives back, faster.”

Today, her health is unchanged, but her purpose has grown. Since donating, Glenna has:
✔️ Started a nonprofit
✔️ Published a book
✔️ Connected with living donors nationwide
✔️ Advocated for education, access, and donor protections

She reminds us that living donation doesn’t just save lives, it strengthens families and communities.

💚 “Helping others gives life meaning, for everyone involved.”

👉 Watch Glenna's story and discover how living donation can change and save lives at livingdonationstories.org & exploretransplant.org

#LivingKidneyDonation #LivingDonor #DonateLife #KidneyDonation #OrganDonation #TransplantAdvocacy #DonorStories #secondchance ... See MoreSee Less

Play

✨ Meet Dana , 17 years post–heart transplant and still going strong.

Before her heart transplant, Dana lived with an LVAD, a machine that kept her alive, but also placed strict limits on everyday life. No showers. No driving. No heat. Batteries, alarms, and constant monitoring. Even being alone wasn’t an option.

Breathing was hard. Fluid filled her lungs. Life revolved around survival.

Then came the transplant.

After receiving a new heart, Dana experienced freedom again, freedom to move, breathe, exercise, and live fully. Today, she’s active, working, and proudly competing with Team Texas at the Transplant Games of America, helping raise awareness for organ donation and celebrating life alongside other recipients, donors, and donor families.

Her journey wasn’t easy. From years on mechanical support to navigating lifelong medications and financial challenges, Dana’s strength was fueled by her family and her faith.

💬 “This heart gave me my life back, and I honor it every day by staying active and giving back.”

👉 Watch Dana’s inspiring story and explore more real-life journeys of resilience and hope at Healthstories4u.org

#HeartTransplant #LVADLife #TransplantSurvivor #17YearsStrong #TransplantGames #GiftOfLife #FaithAndHealing #OrganDonationAwareness ... See MoreSee Less

Play

💚 Meet Teresa.

She’s a wife, mom, Mimi, college professor, and Sunday school teacher, and she’s also living with stage 4 kidney disease due to polycystic kidney disease.

Teresa is searching for a living kidney donor so she can receive a transplant before dialysis and continue teaching, serving, and spending time with her family.

Her thought: “Dialysis would completely change my way of life, and I hope to avoid it.”

You can help by:
✔️ Learning about living donation
✔️ Sharing her story
✔️ Spreading awareness

💚 If you are interested in learning more about living kidney donation, please visit:
LivingDonationStories.org & ExploreTransplant.org

Even sharing Teresa’s story could help save her life.

#LivingKidneyDonation #KidneyTransplant #LivingDonor #PKD #ShareHerStory #DonateLife #TransplantAwareness ... See MoreSee Less

Play

✨ Meet Charles, 17 months post–heart transplant and moving forward one faithful step at a time.

What started as what he thought was acid reflux turned into a life-changing diagnosis. Today, Charles can walk over a mile a day, exercise again, and, most importantly, spend quality time with his daughter without pain.

“The hardest part wasn’t surgery, it was learning to be still.”

Through moments of uncertainty, quarantine, and emotional healing, Charles leaned on:
🙏 His faith
👨‍👧 His daughter
🏥 An incredible care team

When the call came, his daughter answered first:
📞 “Dad, they found a heart.”

A true reminder that healing takes time, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

💖 Thank you to donors, donor families, and care teams who make second chances possible.

👉 Watch Charles's story and discover how transplantation offers a second chance in life at Healthstories4u.org

#hearttransplant #secondchanceromance #TransplantJourney #FaithAndHealing #gratefulheart #organdonationawareness #transplantrecipient ... See MoreSee Less

Play

✨ Meet Doug, proof that it’s never too late for a second chance.

For four years, Doug’s life revolved around dialysis, three times a week, four hours at a time. Kidney failure meant planning everything around treatment, energy limits, and long days in a chair. Still, Doug kept moving, walking 1–2 miles a day and staying active to make dialysis easier.

What kept him going?
💚 His dream of enjoying retirement
💚 Watching his grandchildren grow
💚 Caring for his special-needs son

Then came an extraordinary gift: a living kidney donation from his sister. A perfect 6/6 match.

After transplant, everything changed. More energy. Better sleep. A healthy appetite. A quality of life Doug describes as 150–200% better. While the journey included challenges and setbacks, perseverance, family support, and a positive mindset made all the difference.

💬 “A good attitude is a must. Follow the plan, lean on family, and enjoy each day.”

👉 Watch Doug’s full story and explore more living donor journeys that show what’s possible at livingdonationstories.org

#LivingDonor #KidneyTransplant #SiblingDonation #LifeAfterDialysis #TransplantJourney #Grateful #GiftOfLife #TransplantStrong ... See MoreSee Less

Play

✨ Meet John, a heart transplant gave him a second chance at life.

John lived with heart disease his entire life. What began as a heart murmur in his youth never went away, and by age 50, his heart was failing. Simple moments with his children became exhausting. Breathing was hard. Energy was scarce.

In 2015, John’s heart function dropped to just 40%, and he was placed on a life-support machine while waiting for a transplant. Doctors told him he might wait six months. Instead, after two long months, the call came.

📞 “We have a heart for you.”

At 55 years old, John received the gift of a 25-year-old heart, after overcoming cancer treatment, lung surgery, and intense medical evaluations just to stay eligible. Through it all, his faith carried him.

Today, John walks, exercises, eats healthier, and lives with a strength he never knew before. His message is one of gratitude, for his donor, his care team, and a higher power that carried him through the waiting.

💬 “Someone gave so that I could live. I cherish this heart every single day.”

👉 Watch John’s powerful story and discover more journeys of hope, faith, and second chances at Healthstories4u.org

#HeartTransplant #SecondChanceAtLife #TransplantSurvivor #GiftOfLife #FaithAndHealing #HeartWarrior #OrganDonationSavesLives #PatientStories ... See MoreSee Less

Play

✨ Meet Mekhayel: 10 years post–kidney transplant and full of gratitude.

Before transplant, Mekhayel's kidney disease slowly changed his life. Dialysis took time, energy, and moments away from family, and left him feeling physically drained. But through it all, faith, family, and perseverance carried him forward.

When the call finally came, everything changed.

🚀 “It felt like someone put two rockets inside me.”
Energy returned. Hope surged. Life opened back up.

Today, Mekhayel is living proof of what a transplant can do, restoring not just health, but time, connection, and joy. He credits his wife, daughter, loved ones, and the incredible transplant care team for helping make this second chance possible.

👉 Watch Mekhayel's story and others like his through our Healthstories4u.org and see how transplant transforms lives.

#KidneyTransplant #TransplantJourney #10YearsPostTransplant #DialysisToTransplant #GratefulHeart #SecondChanceAtLife #OrganDonation #TransplantStrong #PatientStories #HopeLives ... See MoreSee Less

Play

💚 Meet Jullie: 5.5 years post–kidney transplant and thriving.

Diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease at just 26, Jullie spent more than two decades living fully, working, creating pottery, and staying active, before she ever needed a transplant. Because she received a preemptive kidney transplant (before dialysis), she was able to protect her health and step into a new chapter with strength and hope.

Her journey wasn’t without challenges. Jullie went home from transplant just as the country shut down for the pandemic, protecting her pediatric block kidneys and navigating recovery in isolation. Through it all, peer support, family, and staying connected to others with kidney disease helped carry her forward.

Today, Jullie feels good. She has energy, warmth in her hands and feet again, a career she loves, and deep gratitude for the gift of transplant.

✨ Her message to others waiting?
Stay ready. Stay connected. Share your story. And keep hope alive.

👉 Watch Jullie’s story and others like hers through our Healthstories4u.org

#KidneyTransplant #TransplantJourney #PreemptiveTransplant #PKD #KidneyHealth #PeerSupport #TransplantLife #OrganDonation #HopeHeals #TransplantStrong #PatientStories ... See MoreSee Less

Play