Lifeline Blog

Real stories about what is possible when you #SayYES.

Not all superheroes wear capes

By Lara Malbon / April 22, 2021

Jimmy Januska was a typical 15-year-old teen who embraced life. He loved playing sports and building Legos for hours. He had many friends and would eagerly jump on a dance floor without hesitation. Everyone loved Jimmy. That’s why Jimmy’s tragic death left an unimaginable hole in the life of his parents Jim and Theresa, his sister…

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Love Match: Wife donates kidney to husband

By Lara Malbon / February 12, 2021

Pat and Jody Cadwell built a life, family, and business together. Married now for 35 years, they never imagined they would also share in the experience of kidney transplantation.  Jody was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) when he was 40 years old.  PKD causes numerous fluid-filled cysts to grow in the kidneys. Too many cysts…

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Donor mom and wife shares message of H.O.P.E. during the holiday season

By Lara Malbon / December 15, 2020

Donnetta Reese knows the depths of grief all too well. She lost both her daughter and her husband, but yet she can still celebrate the holiday season with joy and H.O.P.E. It’s an acronym that she lives by…. healing opportunities are possible every day.  “Each day we can make a difference just like our loved ones,” says Donnetta. Her daughter and husband were organ and tissue…

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Living donor’s purpose-driven life

By Lara Malbon / September 17, 2020

“In life, you have to know your purpose,” these are wise words from Richmonder Christopher Woody, Sr.  In 2013, Woody donated his kidney to his 13-year-old cousin saving his life. Woody didn’t hesitate to get screened to see if he was compatible to donate to him, and once he learned he was a match, he…

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Daughter saves mom’s life with kidney donation

By Lara Malbon / May 6, 2020

“What would I not give to my mom,” exclaims Erica! Erica Jackson and her mother Milagros Jackson have a close mother-daughter bond, but they also share another unique bond. That is because Erica donated a kidney to her mother in 2015. “It’s very possible that I could have lost her,” Erica remembers. Milagros had kidney…

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Checking your status could change 75 lives

Did you know organ donation can save 8 people, and improve life for 75 more? Check your status right now, and sign up to help others have longer, stronger lives.