In 1989, I was diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. I was suffering from an enlarged heart and fighting against the symptoms of fatigue and breathlessness. In the spring of 1996, after waiting for three years on the transplant list, I was advised that if I did not get a heart transplant within six months, I would die. However, by the grace of God, on August 2, 1996, I received my heart transplant at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City. They called me at 6:10 pm, and by 11pm I was in the operating room. On November 13, 1998, I was blessed to meet my donor family. My relationship with them is very close.
On November 2nd, 1997, fifteen months after my transplant, my donor (his heart) and I competed in our first of five New York City Marathons. In 1999, my donor's brother also competed in the Marathon, and my donor's mother gave us our medals for completing the race. With the 2002 Marathon in November, I will have completed a total of six Marathons. By competing in marathons, I hope to show people that after receiving a transplant, I am able to experience a normal and active life.
I was honored to carry the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games "Olympic Torch" through the streets of Queens, New York in December of 2001. I also shared the torch with the critical care unit of Columbia Presbyterian as my way of saying "thank you" to the nurses who took care of me after my transplant.
I regularly visit local high schools, giving presentations on "Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness" to educate our students on the importance of donation. I explain how important it is to consider organ donation by telling how a transplant saved my life. I believe that God kept me here for a purpose to help save lives, and I hope that my efforts and achievements will also honor the countless numbers of donor families for they are the true heroes of organ and tissue donation.
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