At age 19, Tyson Wood donated a kidney to his 17-year-old sister Lacey, who received a heart transplant as an infant. Says Lacey, "Thanks to my brother I have a normal life once again! My brother is my hero and I am so proud of him!"

Tyson and Lacey's Story

When Lacey Wood was 1-1/2 years old, she received a heart transplant after a virus attacked her heart. For 16 years, her heart pumped faithfully, but she began struggling with kidney failure. Her community near Sacramento knows her well, as she is a regular speaker working hard to raise awareness of the need for organ donation.

“I know just how lucky I am to have a willing donor who is such a great match,” she declares.

Despite her heart transplant, she had always been a very physically active person, but the kidney failure was getting the best of her. “Life just wasn’t great, but I tried to make the best of it,” she recalls. As a high school freshman and sophomore, she played on her school volleyball teams. The week after her sophomore volleyball season ended, she was hospitalized with blood clots, kidney failure, blood pressure problems and gout – and spent a lot of time in the hospital during the next two years. It became clear that Lacey would need a kidney transplant.

“We tested my family and I ended up being a perfect 6/6 match for Lacey,” says her 19-year old brother Tyson. “I was really happy that I was the best match because I really wanted be the one. I thought that by being the donor, I could get a better insight into what Lacy goes through every day.”

Lacey reinforces that “Tyson has always been there for me and for him to want to do this is just indescribable. He has always helped get me through the hard times with his hilarious personality. But I was scared for him because he had never even had a blood test before. After the surgery, it was really cool because we got to compare scars and talk about different things that normally he didn’t understand.”

The transplant took place at the famed Mayo Clinic on July 18, 2006, and only a few months later, Lacey knew that she could return to the sports she loves so much.

“This looks to be my best year in high school. It’s my senior year and I am feeling great! I may even try out for Varsity volleyball,” she says enthusiastically. “I also can’t wait for snowboarding season! Thanks to my brother I have a normal life once again! My brother is my hero and I am so proud of him!”