July 2024 In 2019, Kevin Jacques wanted his proposal to his then-girlfriend Amanda Meyer to be a surprise and thought a spot 1,500 miles away would be less likely to give away his plans. He decided on Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. His family owns a lake house nearby, and a summer vacation […]
June 2024 If you are looking for a reason to stay fit, Sid Riley is a motivating force. He refuses to accept the notion that life is for the young. When he fell ill and needed a liver transplant at the age of 75, his personal commitment to staying active tipped the scales in his […]
April 2024 When friends and family of a patient who had passed away gathered at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to say their goodbyes, 7-year-old Golden Doodle Louie knew exactly what to do to comfort them. “My big 95-pound dog got in bed with the little boy and put his chin on him; it was so touching,” […]
January 2024 Every December in Green Cove Springs, Fla., community members light up Spring Park with the Parade of Trees. This event started in 2004 where a few Christmas trees were decorated and placed in the park. This year, there were 224 Christmas trees illuminating the park. Each tree is decorated by families, organizations, or […]
January 2024 Imagine squeezing a lifetime of living into an 8 by 8-inch quilt square. Now imagine doing it for the families of organ donors while working on deadline. “You feel a sense of responsibility,” said Laura Snook, a member of the Ocean Waves Quilters Guild in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. In a collaboration of […]
October 2023 Glenn Carless wants to recover near the Gulf of Mexico. “To be on the beach and enjoy our warm Gulf waters, that’s my dream now,” said Glenn, 57. “I can’t think of a better way to spend my days than out on the beach and getting therapy from the calm Gulf waters. That, […]
September 2023: Sara Burgess of St. John’s County knew about arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) from a young age. ARVD is a rare form of cardiomyopathy that occurs when the heart muscle of the right ventricle is replaced by fat and/or fibrous tissue. Sara’s father, grandmother and three uncles all passed away before the age […]
September 2023: Steve Binder could not have imagined the unbelievable twists and turns that led him to discover his true calling and arrive at the place of joy he feels today. At 7 months old, he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. Since then, he’s endured one medical crisis after another. A stroke, an aneurism, […]
August 2023 Small but mighty, Aimee Sachs had guts. The gifted 4-foot-10 sports journalist made tough decisions decisively. “She was so tiny, but she wasn’t easily intimidated,” said Samantha “Sam” Sachs, Aimee’s older sister. In May of 2023, Aimee’s courage was on full display. After suffering two strokes in two weeks, the 38-year-old was diagnosed […]
July 2023: Second chances don’t come around often. So, when Leander Smoot was given the opportunity to donate one of her kidneys to save the life of a friend, she felt compelled to do the right thing. “When I first read her email, I definitely went back and forth,” said Leander, who lives in Pensacola […]
March 2023: Alex DeFrank had a megawatt smile, a silly sense of humor and an infectious love of life. He danced offbeat, sang off-key and was forever pulling pranks on family and friends. Those closest to Alex, delighted in his tender side too. His generous spirit and reliable nature put others at ease. And who […]
February 2023 When the doorbell jarred Cody and Kathleen Hampton awake at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2018, they felt sick to their stomachs. Kathleen pulled open the front door to find two Leon County sheriff’s deputies standing on her porch. Her heart sank. “We all know what that means,” Kathleen said, solemnly. Over […]
June 2022: On April 5, 2017, Jerry Rosenberg of Jacksonville, Fla., boarded a cruise ship in Ft. Lauderdale with his cousin. Jerry loved to cruise and was headed first to Bermuda, then to Ireland, England and France. Their departure from the port was delayed by five hours due to a bogus bomb threat, but once underway, […]
April 2022 By Kim Gilmore, LifeQuest Public Education Coordinator Selfless love begins and ends with sacrifice. Those of us who work with organ donor families have a front-row seat to the most extraordinary acts of generosity: parents who are so inspired by their only son’s choice to donate his organs that they are willing to […]
January 2022: When she is asked how to pronounce her name, Casana Fink’s reply is a little fruity. “It’s Casana, rhymes with banana,” she quips. Ask the 23-year-old University of Florida graduate about her passion for promoting organ, eye and tissue donation as the reigning Miss Gainesville 2022, and she gets real, fast. “Parents just […]
January 2022: “Zach was the one that if you were on the side of the road, and you looked like you needed help, he would stop,” said his mother, Michelle Trevellick, R.N., a case manager for the Healthy Start Nurse-Family Partnership at UF Health Jacksonville. Zach Rabon was the type of man who walked into a room […]
November 2021: More than 10 years after the unexpected death of 16-year-old William Rollings McMahon of Pensacola, his mother is getting ready to celebrate the impact and shared legacy of his life in an extraordinary way. Kim McMahon, William’s mother and a tissue recipient, will represent the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) as a rider […]
August 2021: August is National Multiethnic Donor Awareness Month! On Thursday, August 19 at 7 p.m. ET, LifeQuest and Transplant Talk with Naishanda will host a podcast featuring a panel of multiethnic college students who are members of Student Organ Donor Advocates. SODA is a national organization that forms student leadership teams to promote organ […]
August 2021: After Jacksonville native and former Buffalo Bills player Leonard Wayne Larramore died while waiting for a heart and kidney transplant, his wife Naishanda decided it was time to speak directly to communities of color. “I truly believe my husband would be alive if more people were organ donors,” Naishanda said. “Now his name […]
July 2021: Danny Martin was intentional about the gifts he gave Debbie Shriner the first time they met near her home in Nassau County, Fla. In one hand, he held two dozen roses that symbolized the gratitude he felt toward Debbie and her son, Branden, an organ donor from whom Danny received a kidney and […]
May 23, 2021: Jennifer Banks Wilson is a walking, talking billboard. “It’s one of the best ways I can bring up a conversation about organ donation,” said Wilson, whose 8-year-old daughter, Holly Bunting, died in a car accident. She donated Holly’s organs and saved four lives. Since then Wilson has transformed her body into a vibrant […]
February 24, 2021: A daddy’s girl through and through, Madison Hair loved hanging out with her family. She also cherished the time she spent at home in her bedroom. Like many young people, it was the one place she could call her own; her sanctuary. For seven years, Madison’s bedroom on Mary Louise Drive provided a […]
February 17, 2021: It had been a day like any other day. Cielita Clausell dropped off her son, Jaylen, at basketball practice after work. On the way home, she pulled into a church parking lot and checked her email. She was expecting a message from the organizers of a football camp Jaylen had attended that […]
February 9, 2021: Nancy and Kelly Burke both grew up in Tallahassee. They graduated from Florida State University, got married, found jobs, bought a house, and then became pregnant. Nancy had always hoped for four kids – two boys and two girls. Once pregnant, Nancy developed a terrible cough. She visited a pulmonologist in October […]
January 25, 2021: “Every transplant is a different journey,” Deborah Labud said. “Both of mine have been totally different journeys. I have different issues with my second transplant, but my breathing is awesome.” While in her early 30s, Deborah suddenly began experiencing breathing troubles. After multiple doctors’ visits and misdiagnoses, at 36 years old, it […]
