When he was just ten years old, Adrian was playing on his school playground at recess, when a speeding, out-of-control vehicle careened through the playground fence. Adrian’s classmates remember how Adrian ran towards them, shielding them from harm. His classmates were uninjured, but Adrian was not so lucky. Flying debris resulted in severe injuries to Adrian’s right leg. EMTs and surgeons preserved Adrian’s life, thanks to the several pints of donated blood transfusions he received. His leg could not be saved, and was amputated below the knee. Physical therapy was grueling, but Adrian made progress. Four months after the accident, he was fitted for his first prosthesis. Today, nothing slows Adrian down. In the fall of 2017, he played freshman football. The next season, he moved up to the junior varsity team. Adrian is now 15, a successful student and athlete, and a glowing reminder of what voluntary blood donation makes possible.

As a devoted wife and loving mother of three boys, Carolina Harvey says she is blessed. In October 2017, Carolina donated her kidney to a young woman she never met, as part of a paired kidney exchange program to save her husband Lukeman’s life. One year after his transplant, Lukeman is feeling vibrant and healthy. In 2014, Carolina’s husband underwent a series of tests after experiencing severe sleep issues, and he was diagnosed with heart and kidney failure. Lukeman would need a kidney transplant to survive. He was placed on dialysis while he waited for a lifesaving transplant. As time passed, his health slowly declined. When the opportunity to participate in a kidney exchange program presented, Carolina did not hesitate to help her husband, and through the chain, nine lives were saved thanks to living donation. Carolina is looking forward to connecting with her kidney recipient and hearing her story.

Working as a Program Manager, Cindricka drives growth and sustaining projects from concept to implementation.  She also volunteers to support the youth and local communities.  In 2015, waking up paralyzed on her left side, Cindricka was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and referred to a spine surgeon.  She underwent spinal surgery in June 2015 and for more than two years, Cindricka experienced little pain and healed well.  By August 2017, she began experiencing shooting pains in her left arm and lost the ability to grip with her left hand. She sought medical care, but did not improve fully until she was finally diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy and scheduled for emergency surgery in April 2018.  During her surgery, she received a bone graft made from donor tissue to help fuse her vertebrae.  Through the kindness of tissue donation and the transformation of the gift by Medtronic, Cindricka is living a normal life again and she volunteers her time to promote the importance of donation.

Gary learned of Jenna’s need for a kidney transplant while checking his Facebook feed one day in November of 2012. He came across a post from her godmother, Rhonda Frey. He decided to help and upon doing preliminary research, Gary discovered that he and Jenna were not blood type matches. Shortly after, Gary learned about the donor exchange program and he volunteered to be tested. He was deemed a suitable donor and he and Jenna entered the paired exchange database. They waited for three years, until Gary learned about the Advance Donor program at UCLA. Jenna’s case was transferred to UCLA and at the age of 56, Gary donated his kidney to an anonymous recipient on July 18, 2017. Eight days later, Jenna received a kidney. The rewards of donating have been beyond measure for Gary. He has since become connected with his kidney recipient and he is grateful to enjoy time with his family.

Born and raised in Northern California, Jodi Harskamp moved to Anchorage, Alaska 12 years ago. She has been flying for over 20 years and is currently a Captain for Alaska Airlines. Jodi attended UC Berkeley, majoring in International Area Studies. She also volunteers her time for several organizations. She is a huge advocate for organ donation awareness. She is currently working on legislation to make Alaska an “opt out” state for organ donation. Jodi enjoys running mountains, participating in triathlons, and spending time outdoors with her husband and 2 children. Jodi survived a catastrophic house fire in 2012, and after receiving her second chance at life, she decided to pay it forward by donating her kidney. Jenny Stansel, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, needed a kidney and Jodi answered the call. They were a perfect match and the transplant was on March 13, 2017. One year later, Jenny is taking flying lessons and Jodi continues to run mountains to raise awareness for organ donation.

Mary Beth’s dad fought kidney issues for many years while she was a child.  He passed away five years after starting dialysis. He was only 52.  Her sister also experienced kidney failure, and she passed away at 49. When Mary Beth’s brother-in-law Eric was experiencing kidney failure, she knew she wanted to help.  Having known the pain of losing her father and sister, she wanted Eric to recover and enjoy life with his children Nicole and Anthony, (Mary Beth’s niece and nephew).  She donated a kidney to Eric in 2013. She started volunteering with Iowa Donor Network to raise awareness about organ donation and how it touches the lives of so many, not just the recipient.  Organ donation would have changed her dad’s life, her sister’s life and her own.  Mary Beth was able to give the gift of life with the support from her husband, family, friends and employer.

Molly Blackwood spent much of her life working as a hospital nurse at different departments. During her work, she was always fascinated with the transplant surgery and bone marrow transplant units. She had the opportunity to care for some of the first liver transplant patients in the United States and watched with interest as transplantation advanced over the following years. Molly became a staunch advocate for organ donation, educating her family and friends about its importance and signing up to become a donor herself. She never imagined that one day she would be the recipient of a life-changing donation. After experiencing severe low back pain along with sciatica, Molly’s doctors recommended surgery. On January 4, 2018, Molly received donated bone tissue during a spine fusion surgery. When she woke up after the surgery, the pain was gone. Molly is eternally grateful for her donor’s generous gift of tissue donation, and hopes the family finds comfort in knowing their loved one helped restore another person’s life.

Rachel knew from an early age that organ donation was important. Her uncle Ed died when she was barely a teenager. Despite their grief, Rachel’s grandmother chose to celebrate Ed’s life by donating his organs. Through the years, she would hear stories about her Uncle’s life and his gift of life, as her grandmother fondly reminisced over the holidays. In 2010, Rachel watched a news segment about kidney chains, and was inspired by the life-changing potential of donation. Rachel has a tradition of celebrating her birthday by doing something special to help others, and that year she decided to become a living donor. On July 26, 2012, after the necessary testing and preparations, Rachel donated her kidney to a complete stranger. Even more remarkably, Rachel’s kidney started a chain that saved an additional recipient’s life. In 2016 Rachel became a OneLegacy Ambassador with the goal of saving lives through inspiring others to register as donors.