Jimmy Lynch was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1979, at age 16. For many years he struggled to control his blood sugar, but finally went on dialysis in February 2002. Needing a double-organ transplant, Jimmy went to the top of the kidney-pancreas waiting list and was transplanted on June 30, 2002. He resolved to thank his donor family, the Janohoskys, whose son Allen had been Jimmy's kidney and pancreas donor. The families met at the 2004 Transplant Games and immediately bonded. On New Year's Day, Jimmy will ride near Allen's floragraph as part of "The Never-Ending Story."

Jimmy's Story

Jimmy Lynch was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1979, when he was just 16 years old. For many years he struggled to control his blood sugar, both the highs and the lows, but began to suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness and deterioration of his kidney function. Jimmy finally needed to go on dialysis in February 2002, and had to fight his disease to get through each day.

Jimmy's sister, Kim, also had diabetes and suffered from complete kidney failure, too. But she was very fortunate to receive a successful kidney-pancreas transplant just prior to needing dialysis. Jimmy went on the kidney-pancreas waiting list and prayed that he would not be on dialysis too long. He was aware that many died waiting.

Needing a double-organ transplant, Jimmy went to the top of the kidney-pancreas waiting list, and was successfully transplanted on June 30, 2002, at Methodist Hospitals of Memphis. His life changed that day and he resolved to thank his donor and family. The Something More Bereavement Aftercare Services at Tennessee Donor Services helped make his desire a reality.

After initially communicating with his donor's family, they were all able to meet at the 2004 Transplant Games of America in Minneapolis, where Jimmy was competing as a member of Team Mississippi. His donor family, the Janohoskys, was from nearby Chanhassen, MN. Their 17-year-old son Allen had been Jimmy's kidney and pancreas donor after a fatal auto accident in Chattanooga. The families immediately bonded.

The Lynch family has attended every Transplant Games since then, and the Janohosky family has been with them in Madison, WI, in 2010, and Houston in 2014. Jimmy speaks regularly in his community on organ and tissue donation awareness from his first-hand experience. Jimmy will ride near Allen Janohosky's floragraph on the Donate Life float, and the two families will be together again in Pasadena thanks to his gifting legacy of life.