Stories of hope

My son and I were driving along High Street together in 2005 when I felt the pain. I knew something was wrong in my chest and drove immediately to the emergency room at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Medical testing found 95 percent blockage in my heart arteries. Five years, three heart attacks and one Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) diagnosis later, my doctors at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center Ross Heart Hospital declared that my heart was failing. I would need a heart transplant from a donor to survive.

I was a single dad and the lifeline for my daughter and son. Before my first heart attack, I was a successful business owner, a Certified Public Accountant and in control of my life. I never thought my future would be put in the hands of someone else’s generosity.

The call of a lifetime for my heart transplant came on December 22, 2011, as my children and I were unsure if I would be alive for the holidays. I was sick for so long with CHF that I consider myself incredibly lucky to be here today. At deaths edge, the gift of an organ donor gave my children their dad back and a future full of possibilities. I am grateful to my support system: my pastor who prayed with me at the hospital, my friends and my concerned kids. My organ transplant completely changed my outlook on life, brought me closer to God and led me to this calling: to help others. I wrote my donor’s family to share my gratitude and celebrate their loved one’s courageous donation of life.

John takes a seat for life in the green chair to honor his donor.

I share my story to help who I can and to make others aware of the power of one donor. You can save eight lives and heal fifty others by registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor. Why not save a life? Register today!