Transplant Recipient Stories
Heart recipient Joe Drennan and his wife Pam discuss the importance of donation with Ryan Haarer of 9 News on National Donor Day. Photo courtesy Angie Johnston
National Donor Day, celebrated on Feb. 14, is an observance that honors organ and tissue donors, celebrates the lives of recipients and recognizes the more than 122,000 Americans and 2,700 Coloradans who are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant.
Donor Alliance Advocates for Life volunteer Joe Drennan, of Highlands Ranch, celebrated his 43rd wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day. An anniversary he may not be here for had he not been the fortunate recipient of a heart transplant in 2014. The transplant saved his life; he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy 7 years earlier.
Joe and his wife Pam Drennan joined Andrea Smith of Donor Alliance and Ryan Haarer on 9 News Sunday morning to share their story, and encourage other Coloradans to register as organ, eye and tissue donors.