Erica Hilgenbrinck, RN
Organ donation holds a special place in my heart as our extended family has benefitted three times from the gift of organs.
First my cousin Chad was given a double lung transplant after living his life with cystic fibrosis, we really were not sure he was going to make it as he got so sick in his early 20s with lung complications from the disease that he had suffered with over the years. He did get his lungs; it was a young man who died in a construction accident. We felt so blessed to be given this gift. Then again 10 years later, Chad was in renal failure and in need of a kidney, his sister was a match and she donated her kidney to him. This gained us yet another year without multiple dialysis appointments and better quality of life for Chad. Ultimately, Chad passed away a year later from another illness but, through organ donation, we were given 11 more years with him that we would not have been gifted without the donors who make it possible.
The final miracle our family received was very early on Christmas morning 2023. We got word as we were leaving Christmas Eve service that my cousin Tracy was on his way to St. Louis to get a liver. He had a hereditary liver disease that my aunt, his mom ultimately died from, and he had become very ill from the liver failure. It was a Christmas miracle that Tracy was gifted this liver and able to continue to be there with his family. He has continued to do well, and we are all so thankful for the donors and their families that made it possible for our family to have these extended years with our loved ones.