In December of 2019, at the age of 27, I received a life saving liver transplant thanks to the generosity of my living donor, my uncle Mark. Transplant has by far been the most difficult and humbling experience of my life, and has completely motivated me to live life to the absolute fullest.
Post-transplant I became a Donate Life Ambassador to help educate others on organ donation and encourage them to register to be an organ donor. I’ve found that there are still many myths and misconceptions around organ donation and it is not discussed nearly enough, especially within my age group. Almost 114,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a life-saving organ transplant, and on average 20 people die a day every day from the lack of available organs for transplant. I’m one of the lucky ones who received a transplant, and am inspired to help make the waiting list smaller and smaller until it is eventually 0.
I’ve been using Instagram as a platform to share my transplant story and educate others on what it is like being an immunocompromised person during the COVID-19 pandemic. I think it is helpful to see that while someone may look “young and healthy” this may not always be the case, and to put a face to the people whose lives can be saved from following social-distancing measures and flattening the curve of the spread of coronavirus. Throughout my transplant and now the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m often asked how I remain so positive given the circumstances. My answer is pretty simple – I do what I can to protect myself and keep myself safe, but don’t worry over the things that are out of my control
