Life, loss, hope and healing – these are the stories of those touched by donation.
We invite you to:
- Scroll down and watch the story of 11-year-old donor hero John B. Mullins IV.
- Click here to visit our YouTube page and meet recipients, donor family members and those waiting for their lifesaving gifts.
- Click on the panels at the bottom of this page to read more stories on our website.
John B. Mullins IV
Tuesday’s Tale: Being in Their Shoes
As a hospital professional, I see a lot of different people every day. While it has made me more sympathetic to the needs and emotions of others, it was hard to put myself on the other side of the fence when I became ill in November 2006. That was when I went into liver failure.
Tuesday’s Tale: From Doctor to Patient
I was working as a Gastroenterologist in 1984 when I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy or the weakening of my heart muscle. I was used to treating patients, many of whom had received transplants, but when I was told I might need a heart transplant I was in denial.
Tuesday’s Tale: Expect the Unexpected
I was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis Obliterans, a rare and life-threatening form of non-reversible obstructive lung disease where the small branches in your airway are shrunk and narrowed by scar tissue or inflammation. There were only two doctors in the US - in California or Cleveland – who could treat it. I was listed for a double lung transplant in late September 2004 at the Cleveland Clinic.
Tuesday’s Tale: The Glass is Half Full
It was Thanksgiving Day when I was 12-years-old that I came down with this chicken pox. My parents realized that the insatiable thirst, lethargic behavior and extreme weight loss may be something more than just the pox. By Christmas that same year, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Tuesday’s Tale: Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring
Growing up, I never thought twice about being an organ donor. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I never thought that it would become such an intricate part of my everyday life.
The Gift of Parenthood
On July 31, 1993 my wife and I exchanged wedding vows and began our life together, a life in which we wanted to have children, to own a home and to live happily ever after. However, soon after our marriage my health began to deteriorate, and all those dreams were put on hold.
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The gifts of donation are powerful – they can change someone’s life and rewrite their story. Will you share yours?