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STORIES OF HOPE |
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| Nona's
Story |
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 When
the doctor told Nona that her kidneys had lost 75% of
their function and she needed to go on the kidney
transplant list, she couldn’t believe it. She felt fine.
Yes, maybe she was a little tired, but she quickly got
used to doing peritoneal dialysis four times a day. Three
years later, when the call came that a kidney was finally
available, Nona almost passed up the gift of life because
she said she felt fine. The transplant coordinator
immediately responded. “You’ve convinced your head that
you’re fine, but your body isn’t fine. Years of dialysis
take their toll, and until you get a new kidney, your body
won’t know what ‘fine’ feels like.”
After her successful kidney transplant, Nona really is
fine. She now helps others diagnosed with kidney disease
make informed choices about their treatment options,
demonstrating that through organ transplantation, life
truly can be fine again. |
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Merritt's
Story |
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 Merritt
Douglas Healy was my child, my son and my purpose in life.
He was a wonderful, easy baby, a comedic, sensitive child,
and a wonderfully thoughtful teen and young man. We had a
wonderful relationship. He was more than my son; he was my
companion and my best friend.
People of all ages were drawn to him. He never could
understand why people always wanted to be his friend and
why people made a big deal over his looks; he was humble
that way. He was always there for his friends, whether
they needed help moving, help working on their cars or
they just needed to talk. He was a great listener and was
more mature, which is why everyone wanted his advice. When
he was 15 he met the love of his life, Katie. They were
together for five years. I’m glad that he got to
experience that kind of love.
His motto was “LIVE LIFE” and that is what he did.
Whatever he was interested in, he tried. He was a
skateboarder, biker and snowboarder when he was young. He
was into cars and motorcycles when he was older. He also
loved to cook and try different foods. We ate dinner
together almost every night whether we ate in or out. I
kept telling him he needed to go to culinary school, but
because he wanted to help people he wanted to be a police
officer instead.
On June 7, 2007 at 3:18 a.m. my life changed forever; my
son was involved in a motorcycle accident. Despite wearing
his helmet, my son did not survive. While sitting with my
son after his death in the hospital ER, I decided my son
couldn’t die without a reason; that I needed to donate his
eyes and tissue so he could live on. My son was a giving
person and would have wanted that. In fact we had
discussed it just days before at dinner, because of the
transplant plane that had crashed in Lake Michigan June
5th on its way to Michigan with donor organs.
As I said, my son’s motto was “LIVE LIFE”…..and that’s
what he’s been able to do; in just one year he’s helped
over 43 people and he’s still not finished. He’s helped
people from ages 12 to 90 with everything from bone
donations for neck fusions to skin donations for breast
reconstruction and tendon donation for an ACL
reconstruction. Those people now get to live a better
quality of life with his help and donations. My purpose in
life has now become to educate people of the importance
and benefits of tissue donation….this way my son’s legacy
will go on.
Lovingly submitted by his mother, Wendy Healy. |
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| Tim
Herman's Story |
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Kris Herman (pictured left) and Kim Stege (pictured right)
share a special connection. During a ski accident Kim tore
her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is a piece of
connective tissue that helps hold the knee joint together.
Her biggest support came from another athlete: Tim Herman,
a husband and father who died of a ruptured brain
aneurysm. Tim’s donated gift of a tendon helped speed
Kim’s recovery and propelled her to become a donor
herself. “I am genuinely happy for Kim’s successful knee
surgery and that Tim could help make that happen,” said
his wife Kris. Kris serves on many donor family committees
and helps support other donor families who gave the gift
of life. |
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| Mike's
Story |
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 It’s
been five years. Five years of laughing and playing with
my son and daughter. Five years of sharing life with my
beautiful wife. Five years of miracles. Five years of
being in better health than ever before.
As I write this, there are over 100,000 people waiting for
transplants in the United States. I’m one of the blessed
ones. Five years ago I received my kidney/pancreas
transplant.
I remember being on the other side, being one of those
100,000. I remember wondering if I would have to go on
dialysis. Wondering if I would ever get my energy back so
I could play with my kids again. Wondering what would
happen if I didn’t get the transplant I needed. What if I
ran out of time? It can be a sad and scary place.
But I had a hero. Annie Sarah Fleming had decided to be an
organ donor, and her decision turned my life around.
For the first time in 30 years I wasn’t diabetic. I had
energy and no more diet restrictions. More importantly,
after taking life for granted most of my life, it wasn’t
going to happen any more.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The timing itself of my transplant was a miracle. The
doctor said my kidneys had declined so fast that I would
have needed to start dialysis that day were it not for the
transplant. I was blessed to be at UW Hospital at all. If
I had gone with the hospital my kidney doctor was
associated with, I would have spent at least two more
years waiting for my transplant.
This was the beginning at my second chance at life.
From experience, I can tell you the time you spend
“working extra” away from your family isn’t worth it. I
appreciate my wife and children so much more. I don’t take
God for granted any longer either. The surprise revelation
of going through something like this is so much more than
being healthy, it’s finding out how simple life is.
Love God and your family and make a difference in people’s
lives. That’s it. Don’t sweat the rest of it. Life’s too
short not to enjoy it.
My family now hikes, plays games, and dreams together. We
have so much fun. Fun I didn’t have energy to have before
the transplant. We are so thankful.
My story is a happy one thanks to Annie.
I wish I could say that for every sad and scary story,
there was a hero to save them. There’s not…but there could
be. Become an organ donor. Tell your friends. Tell your
relatives. Tell complete strangers. Tell them they can be
like Annie.
Tell them they can be a hero. |
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| David's
Story |
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“All he ever did was give and when he was gone, he gave
some more.” This quote sums up the story of David.
 On
June 12, 2007, during a routine training exercise, David
collapsed between evolutions from a massive heart attack.
His brother firefighters were unable to revive him. He was
42 years old. The decision of organ and tissue donation
was never a hesitation. He will continue to save! David’s
true love was the fire department. It started at a very
young age. His father was a member of the Monroe Fire
Department. He was the youngest of four children and
sought every opportunity to go the firehouse with his
father. He would race on his bike to see the fire trucks
responding to calls. He insisted on hearing complete
details when his Dad returned from a call.
Following in the footsteps of his father, uncles and
cousins, David joined the department in October 1986 at
the age of 22. He wore badge number 38 with honor. David
found his passion in vehicle extrication. He had the
never-ending desire to help those in need. He became an
instructor for hundreds of firefighters, EMT’s and first
responders on vehicle extrication skills and techniques to
save lives on our roadways.
David enjoyed the little things. He volunteered to walk
the field when deer hunting so the others with him would
have the chance to see one first – acting silly and
telling terrible jokes to make you roll your eyes and
laugh at him – those lengthy detailed “I have looked up
the information and just want your opinion” conversations
that made you just want to get up and walk away – his
family and friends knew they were secondary to the call to
duty. We were always OK with it.
Father – Ken, Mother – Dottie, Sons – Derek and Jacob,
Daughter – Danielle, Sisters – Ruth Ann and Linda, Brother
– Mark, Brother in laws – Joe and Mark, and Nephews –
Hans, Mark and Lance. We miss you! |
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| Joshua
Fischer's Story |
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 Our
son Josh gave us so many gifts in his life; gifts of love,
friendship, joy and laughter. Josh’s last gift to others
was of his tissue donation, which we hope will continue
the lives of his recipients. We know how grateful we would
have been if he could have been saved by a donor.
- The Family of Joshua Fischer (Jan. 18, 1986 - Aug. 11,
2007) |
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| Phyllis'
Story |
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 Lovingly
submitted by Phyllis' husband, Jim
Phyllis
and I were enormously blessed with over 50 years of
marriage. Through our loving partnership we were fortunate
to have four marvelous children (two sons, two daughters).
Phyllis was not only my best friend but the love of my
life. She was the sweetheart of my soul. She was the most
giving person I have ever known. She would do anything for
anybody at anytime or place.
Phyllis was an amazing woman. She had an understated, wry
sense of humor. We were out celebrating our 20th
anniversary when I told her that once we reached our 25th,
she would be off “probation.” She smiled and said she
would remember that remark. Upon our 25th anniversary
celebration, she announced to the gathered group that she
was off “probation,” but that Jim is now on, for the next
25 years! When we celebrated our 50th anniversary, she
kindly “removed” me from probation. She then said “Let’s
go for 75 – the first 50 were a piece of cake.”
When our kids finished high school, Phyllis went back to
school herself to become a registered nurse; graduating at
age 40. She went to work at a local hospital as a staff
nurse where she stayed for 20 years. She retired only
because of severe back problems which required surgery.
She missed nursing very much. She was truly a patient
advocate and carried this into volunteer work with a local
senior center.
Phyllis and I always discussed things openly and frankly;
including death. We had an excellent rapport when it came
to decision making and truly felt the same about what to
do when that horrible day would come for either of us. Our
kids knew our wishes as well, so there was clarity on what
had to be done when that fateful day would occur. We
always kept our estate plan up-to-date, including the
advanced directives for healthcare. We always felt because
we had been blessed our whole lives, we did not want to
linger in a state of vegetation as the quality of our
lives was more important than the length. We also agreed
that if the opportunity presented itself, we wished to be
organ and tissue donors. We wanted to donate to someone so
their lives could be saved or enhanced through organ and
tissue transplantation.
Phyllis was taken from us suddenly and unexpectedly in
February 2007 when she died of a cerebral aneurysm. Her
health had been reasonably good and she was in good
spirits when I left home to do my thing at the YMCA. In
fact, we were kidding each other as to whose turn it was
to go grocery shopping. As we often did, we decided we
would go together upon my return in about an hour. Within
45 minutes of my departure, I received a phone call from
Phyllis’ friend. She told me Phyllis had dropped the phone
during their conversation. Her friend called 911 and then
called me. I rushed home to find EMS had been there and
left. I had to call 911 to find out what hospital she was
at, rushed over and found her to be on a ventilator and
was told she was brain-dead. I contacted our kids,
including one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast,
as well as her sisters. She was surrounded by her family
when life support was removed. They were able to recover
bone and connective tissue, that I hope can be used to
improve someone’s life – I know she would be very pleased
and happy to know she was continuing her giving ways. |
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| Brian's
Story |
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We all like to think that we would live till we are old
and gray. Little do we know how fragile that perception
is.
 Brian,
our amazing middle child, was a blue-eyed wonder, with
crazy hairstyles and a smirky smile. He was always in
motion and testing the limits of every aspect of his life.
He charmed everyone he met. Being only 23, Brian had no
reason to think about his life ending. He was just getting
started on his version of taking the world by the tail. A
junior at MSOE, majoring in Electrical Engineering, he had
his own part-time business known as PMS (Property
Maintenance Service) and was preparing to close on his
first income property.
Our family’s life as we knew it was forever changed on
Monday October 6th, 2003. It was a beautiful sunny autumn
day. Brian was on his way home from MSOE. He was entering
the expressway at 6th and McKinley, where he lost control
of his motorcycle. He was thrown from his bike and
sustained major trauma to his head.
He arrived at the hospital unconscious, where he remained
in a coma for two weeks. Seeing his unmarked body
motionless seemed so unnatural. We felt helpless. There
was nothing we could do. This couldn’t be happening; Brian
was always the strong and fearless one, ready for any
challenge.
When it was apparent that the outcome was not good and
Brian was not going to recover, we discussed the idea of
organ donation. Never having discussed this with Brian and
not knowing if he had signed his driver’s license which we
did not have, we made the choice. Brian was going to die;
nothing was going to change that. While we were in our
darkest hour, our choice to donate sustained us through
our son’s tragic end. We chose to let adversity transform
Brian’s life into something greater. Having him be a donor
provided a positive outcome that honored the life he
lived.
On Monday evening October 20th, Brian became a hero,
giving another chance at life to three people he never
knew. Brian had embraced life, living it to the fullest
with no regrets. We believe he would have no regrets about
the decision we made, knowing he was able to help others
to live their lives to the fullest.
Because of our limited knowledge of donation we chose only
to donate Brian’s organs. Although that was a significant
gift, so many others could have been helped had we been
more familiar with the donation process. We would have
given his tissue and bone marrow as well.
Most people would like to believe that their existence if
the world has made a difference, and when they are gone in
some small way they have left their mark. I believe Brian
has left his mark on those who are touched by his life;
his story and his organ donation. He made a difference in
the lives of three people who have renewed life, thanks to
his donation.
Life is not measured by what we get, but by what we
become.
We make a life by what we give.
Lovingly submitted by his mother, Lynn Baudo. |
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| Dustin's
Story |
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Dustin’s
choice to be an organ donor sent his family on a mission
to open their hearts to accept and give support to other
donor families.
 “Dustin’s
life bore a great example of his exceptional drive,
winning smile and heart,” shares Dustin’s mom, Mary Jo.
Dustin, age 23, died from injuries he received in a
traffic accident in June of 2005. Dustin’s live-saving
gifts included the donation of his heart, liver, pancreas,
kidneys and corneas. Through his gifts, Dustin changed the
lives of four organ recipients, multiple tissue recipients
and hundreds more through the recipient’s family and
friends. His choice to be an organ donor sent his family
on a mission to open their hearts to accept and give
support to other donor families.
“He seemed to know everyone and everyone him knew him as a
hard-working, car-loving, adventurous man whose quick,
witty remarks brought laughter and ease,” adds Mary Jo.
Extremely motivated, bright and successful, Dustin was
strong and healthy. He enjoyed participating in sports and
exercising. Driven to succeed, Dustin started his own car
audio business at the age of 16. He graduated from Black
River Falls High School in 2001 and from Western Technical
College in 2005. Dustin worked a professional job as a CNC
machinist and owned his own home by the age of 23. He
truly lived by his signature motto, “Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.”
“Dustin had boundless energy and a heart full of love,”
says Mary Jo. “He was always willing to help, support and
give his all where his friends and loved ones were
concerned. His love and laughter brightened our world.”
Dustin’s choice to be an organ donor sent his family on a
mission to open their hearts to accept and give support.
Mary Jo and Donna, Dustin’s liver recipient, have shared
their story of hope and healing at public events. They
know that their experience and new-found friendship will
have a powerful effect on others.
“Hope and peace are separate from grief,” adds Mary Jo.
“Life grows because of Dustin’s influence and gift to
others.” . |
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