These are interviews I gathered from transplant camp, a camp for transplant recipient kids and teenagers. Despite being so young, they have a lot of life experiences.

How old are you?

16

Where are you from?

Sacramento

He was 6 months old when he recieved the transplant.

What was your transplant?

Liver

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

Biliari Atresia

What was life like before transplant?

My skin was really pale and greenish and my eyes were yellow.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

From what I know, there was this grey area… If I could guess, I’d say a week or two.

How was the road to recovery?

Road to recovery was hard for my mom, because she didn’t know what I was like… She had to make a really gross dish, and I had to eat it and it was hard for her.

What can you do now after transplant?

Idk, I can’t eat red meat now.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

I don’t know what normal is.

Do you know your donor?

Yes, I know his name was Chris.

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

Male. 19.

How did they die?

He passed in a truck incident.

Who decided to be an organ donor? Their family or the donor themselves?

Chris decided.

Did you meet their family?

I met one of them.

What was that like?

She was nice.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

You’re helping people not die.

Alejandro is not scared about the future and is pretty happy with his life.

How old are you?

16

Where are you from?

Livermore

Miranda received her transplant on October 23, 2018.

What was your transplant?

Heart & Liver

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

Heart was failing

What was life like before transplant?

I got tired a lot. I wasn’t hyper. I couldn’t do sports (high impact sports). I also got tired really easily.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

2 Months

How was the road to recovery?

Very long and hard, but my mom helped me.

What can you do now after transplant?

I think I can do more sports. Not all of them but most of them.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

So I have a plan when I’m older. I’d have a rusty farm, and I would have people who didn’t have a place to live live there.

Do you know your donor?

No.

Do you want to meet them?

Yes. They’re family.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

Definitely do it because it saves people’s lives. Even if you’re alive, donating a liver, kidney can save people’s lives. Even if it’s really painful, you’re saving a life.

General Questions

How old are you?

16

Where are you from?

North Tahoe, California

Transplant

What was your transplant?

Liver, received May 26, 2015

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

biliary atresia

What was life like before transplant?

It was rough. It was not the best. It wasn’t normal. It was hospital stay after hospital stay.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

12 years

How was the road to recovery?

Recovery was about 2 months, it felt really long because I couldn’t do any normal things

What can you do now after transplant?

Play football. And also just spending enough time with friends outside of the hospital. Just being outside with the lake is very beautiful.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

Play football. Play sports. Go to state championships. Get those ranks.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

Yes, I do.

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

Female, currently 36

Why did she decide to donate?

She was just a really kind-hearted person who had empathy towards me.

Did you meet her?

Yeah, I see her all the time and we became best friends, we became family.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

Go for it.

Bode has a tattoo of his transplant date. On his transplant date, he spends time with his donor and family.

General Questions

How old are you?

15

Where are you from?

California

Transplant

What was your transplant?

Kidney, recieved March 24, 2014

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

Doctors don’t know how she got it.

What was life like before transplant?

It was tough for me because I didn’t really eat enough and my mom was worried about me since I was getting really skinny. I would get really nauseous.

Danica threw up in class and her classmates laughed at her. One girl stood up for her; Danica told that girl people were jealous of Danica for not doing P.E.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

1 year and 3½ months

How was the road to recovery?

I remember being really tired and really hungry. My grandpa came in and asked if he could buy me anything and I said Taco Bell.

Overall, she said it was easy.

What can you do now after transplant?

Well I mean there are certain things I couldn’t do but now can do

• swimming
• dancing
• hula-hooping

I felt like it [transplant] changed my life because I’m really mature for my age as teachers have told me.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

I know that there is a lot of stuff but I know that my medications might not work and that scares me.

She looks on the bright side and likes being more active.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

Yes, it was her uncle

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

Male. Mid 20s (24)

Why did he decide to donate?

He had to give me his kidney so I could have another chance at life.

General Questions

How old are you?

15

Where are you from?

San Jose, CA

Transplant

What was your transplant?

Liver, received at 7 months old

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

biliary atresia

What was life like before transplant?

Idk, I was adopted

How long did you wait for your transplant?

4 months

How was the road to recovery?

Difficult, I guess. I know I had the transplant after I was adopted. I had a lot of blood clots so I was in and out of the hospital until the summer of 3rd grade.

What can you do now after transplant?

I don’t know. Live?

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

Doing what I want. Sports. Stuff.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

No. I wish I did.

Why do you want to meet your donor?

Um, well, I want to meet their family. What they’re like, to thank their son/daughter for it must’ve been hard.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

Um… I say do it. When you die, your organs start disintegrating and might as well put it to use.

What do you do to celebrate on your transplant date?

I don’t do anything. I wish I did.

General Questions

How old are you?

16

Transplant

What was your transplant?

liver & small bowel, received April 2008

What was life like before transplant?

I got sick a lot and had to stay in the hospital.

How was the road to recovery?

I think I had to stay in the hospital for a couple of months.

What can you do now after transplant?

A lot of stuff, I guess. I mean I don’t get sick as often.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

That I don’t get sick a lot and have to stay in the hospital.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

No.

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

They were a child. N/A gender

How do you celebrate your transplant date?

I don’t really celebrate it. My dad tells everyone though.

Would you like to meet your donor family?

Yeah, the family, sure.

Have you tried reaching out?

No, I don’t think so.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

You made a good choice. Hope all goes well.

General Questions

How old are you?

17

Where are you from?

Bay Area CA

Transplant

What was your transplant?

Kidney, received April 10, 2013

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

autoimmune disease microscopic polyangiitis

How long did you wait for your transplant?

1 year

What was life like waiting for the transplant?

I couldn’t go to school for 6 weeks (I was 11 at the time). I had to hire a tutor for homeschool.

How was the road to recovery?

I could eat more food – I couldn’t eat sodium, phosphorus, potassium – and I could swim and be more active.

Was there any complications from the surgery?

Nope 🙂

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

Having more freedom with my life.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

My dad was the donor.

My dad was a living donor – he is a healthy adult.

Why did your dad decide to donate?

Both my mom and dad were tested to be my donor, but my dad was the match.

What does your future look like?

For now, college. But hopefully a healthy life, and a happy one.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

Do it. Especially as a living donor, because most people on the transplant list are waiting for kidneys.

General Questions

How old are you?

17

Where are you from?

Charleston, South Carolina

Transplant

What was your transplant?

kidney, received May 15, 2005 (age 2)

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome

What was life like before transplant?

Don’t really remember, but I was gaining weight and my parents thought it was healthy, but it turned out it was water weight. So I was pretty normal.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

about a few months

How was the road to recovery?

We stayed in California for a summer and we spent 2 months checking up to make sure I was okay.

What can you do now after transplant?

Well, I couldn’t do anything when I was a child.

I have no limitations to anything. The doctors lifted a ban on contact sports.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

Being here in general. I don’t know because I haven’t had a hospital visit since 3rd grade.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

Yes, it was his father.

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

He is healthy and middle age.

How did he know he was eligible to be a donor?

They do a bunch of testing – they go from the oldest to youngest – and he was the second one tested.

Were there any complications?

No.

Why did he donate?

I think it’s because it’s his son and families are supposed to match.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

I think they should do research before deciding not to be an organ donor.

How do you celebrate your transplant date?

I don’t. It’s just a regular day.

Turner is a non-steroid patient. In 2004-2006 Stanford was doing a study on steroids to see if transplant recipients could not take steroids. He takes reliable immunosuppressants.

Why are you an active advocate for organ donation?

Turner has been to Washington, D.C. two times for transplant activism. The first time he raised money for hospitals. The second time was a communication between doctors, patients, and donors.

Because I’m very close with the hospital I’m at. If they ask me to do anything I’ll do it.

I’m doing a meetup of other transplant recipients in our cities.

What does your future look like?

I hope to stay an advocate for the transplant community but still move forward with my goals in life.

General Questions

How old are you?

15

Where are you from?

Las Cruces, NM

Transplant

What was your transplant?

Liver, received August 2004, 9 months old

What was your condition that led to the transplant?

biliary atresia (she did a report of the condition at school)

What was life like before transplant?

I was a baby. I don’t know. But I know since the day I was born I was always sick.

How long did you wait for your transplant?

not long

How was the road to recovery?

I think it was kinda rough. I had pmneumia a lot of times.

What are you most excited about after being healthy?

To live like a normal person.

Donor

Do you know your donor?

Yes.

Sienna’s family found them on a newspaper. At 13, Sienna dug around hard to contact to family.

Was it a male or a female? How old were they?

Male. 9.

How did they die?

Drank the wrong milk (dairy allergy).

Who decided to be an organ donor? Their family or the donor themselves?

The family had to decide. It was a really hard decision for them.

Did you meet their family?

I never met them. I never knew them.

When she was 13, Sienna got curious and just wanted to see a picture of her donor. When she found his picture in a newspaper, she freaked out.

Sienna had to do a report of a medical condition for school, so she picked biliary atresia. Through her research, she found she could take a pill once a day, and now she is.

What would you say to people considering to be an organ donor?

Do it. You don’t need your organs when you’re dead.