Stories of Hope
Rhonda
When she was 17 years old, Rhonda, from Douglas, Wyoming, was diagnosed with severe juvenile diabetes. In her 30s, as her kidneys began to fail, she was placed on dialysis. Then, after waiting 18 months, Rhonda received the life-changing call she had been hoping for – someone she didn’t even know had made the generous decision to donate their organs, giving her a second chance at life.
“I know my donor changed the lives of many others that same night in October of 2000 with her gifts,” Rhonda shared. “I think of her and thank her every day.”
Rhonda’s journey is one of many real-life organ donor stories that highlight the power of these lifesaving and healing gifts. In addition to receiving a kidney, Rhonda also received a pancreas and bone, showing just how deeply her life has been touched by organ and tissue donation.
In 2022, after the passing of her husband, he too made the courageous decision to give the gift of life through organ and tissue donation, further cementing the impact of donor stories in Rhonda’s life.
On January 1, 2024, Rhonda had the opportunity to share her donor story with the world during the nationally televised 2024 Rose Parade, bringing a local face to the life-saving cause of organ and tissue donation.
More Stories
Clayton
Beth and Larry Sparks will always remember their son Clayton as kindhearted, full of life, and the kind of person who made everyone feel like they belonged. In 2019, Clayton died at just 24 years old. Before his death, he made the decision to be an organ donor. That decision now lives on in multiple […]
Rita
Rita believed that generosity was a way of life. “I am always blessed to receive because I am always willing to give,” she would often say. When Rita passed away in 2023, her daughter, Elita, found solace in those very words. Knowing her mother had chosen to be an organ donor helped shift her focus […]
Kelsi
Kelsi was 23 when doctors diagnosed her with adult idiopathic scoliosis and told her she’d eventually lose the ability to walk. Surgery was her only chance to live a normal life and a tissue donor was her best chance at a successful surgery. Her pain was already debilitating, but with a curve that was increasing […]