Gift of Life

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Kathy Snead. In 2009, Kathy was diagnosed with HCM, a diagnosis that would slowly change the course of her life. Year after year, her health challenges continued to grow more serious. Doctors warned her that one day she may need a liver transplant, but nothing could prepare her or her family for how quickly that day would come...

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Steven Gregory, a musician whose life was built around faith, family, and music alongside his wife. Like so many transplant journeys, Steven’s story began with what seemed like a normal life… until everything suddenly changed. In his mid-50s, Steven learned he was suffering from cardiomyopathy, a diagnosis that wo...

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Sonja Dalbey, whose journey began the day she was born.   Diagnosed as a “blue baby,” Sonja faced serious heart challenges from the very beginning of her life. But as she grew older, doctors discovered her condition was far more complicated than anyone first realized. During a heart catheterization in third gr...

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Garry with 2 R’s Katz, a man whose journey has already been filled with battles, strength, and determination. After defeating cancer, Garry now faces another life-changing challenge… kidney failure.   In this heartfelt episode, Garry shares the emotional reality of living on dialysis, the daily struggles that...

In this powerful episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Robbie Knutson, whose journey began long before he ever knew a transplant would become part of his story.   Born premature, Robbie faced health challenges from the very beginning. At just 16 years old, he began experiencing breathing difficulties and learned there was a possibility he could develop emphysem...

In this heartfelt episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Leah Holverson and hear the powerful story of her unexpected journey to a heart transplant.   What first began as a strange and concerning episode eventually seemed to pass without answers. But less than a year later, the symptoms returned several more times. In July of 2022, Leah was placed on a heart mon...

This week on  Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast , we share a powerful and deeply moving story of love, loss, and legacy. We meet Tara Storch, a devoted mother whose life changed forever during a family ski trip when her beautiful 13-year-old daughter, Taylor, tragically lost her life in an accident. In the midst of unimaginable grief, Tara and her family made a courageous deci...

This week on  Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast , we share an incredible story of endurance, hope, and the power of a second chance. Meet  Andrea McConaughy , a heart transplant recipient celebrating an amazing milestone— 30 years of life after transplant . Andrea’s journey began at just  15 years old , when she first realized something wasn’t right...

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Johnny Boatman—a former football player, military veteran, devoted husband, and now a heart and kidney transplant survivor.   Johnny lived a life built on strength, discipline, and fitness. As someone who worked out regularly and stayed in peak physical condition, health concerns were never on his radar. Like many o...

Some journeys are defined not just by survival… but by the unwavering love of family.   In this heartfelt episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Melissa and her daughter Haley—a powerful mother-daughter team whose story spans miles, challenges, and incredible devotion.   With Melissa living in Wisconsin and Haley in South Carolina, distance cou...

n this powerful and heartfelt episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Brian Campbell, a heart transplant recipient whose journey reflects the strength, patience, and resilience so many in the transplant community know all too well.   Brian’s story begins with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, a condition that slowly changed the course of his life. What followe...

In this inspiring episode of Gift of Life, we meet Brian Rubash, a true testament to resilience, faith, and the power of a positive mindset.   Brian’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. He has undergone not one, not two—but three kidney transplants over the course of his life. His transplant story began as a child, continued through his college years, and now carries into...

This week on Gift of Life, we bring you a deeply moving and faith-filled conversation with David Rhoades—a man whose strength, courage, and unwavering belief in God will truly touch your heart.   David has been in the ICU for 52 days, sustained by an IABP (Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump), as he waits for the miracle of a heart transplant. In this powerful episode, David shares his journey fr...

Some stories don’t just continue… they come full circle in the most powerful and inspiring ways.   You may remember this incredible couple from earlier episodes of the podcast.   In Episode 55, we met Terri Cecere, a heart transplant recipient, and heard her powerful story of survival, faith, and second chances.   Then in Episode 56, her husband George Cecere joined us...

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, we meet Brian Springer, a true warrior whose journey will touch your heart and stay with you long after the episode ends.   Brian has already endured four open-heart surgeries, and most recently, received an LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device)—a life-sustaining device that is keeping him alive as he waits for the ultimate gift… a new...

In this milestone Episode 100, BJ welcomes Mike Duncan from Bloomington, Indiana, whose life-saving liver transplant journey is a powerful reminder of the life-changing impact of organ donation.   Mike’s story began in 2016 when subtle symptoms during a trip to Florida — dark urine, yellowing eyes, and swelling — revealed something much more serious. His liver was failing. &...

On this show, we always start at the beginning — because every transplant story is different.   For this husband of 22 years, father of three, and lifelong pastor from Charlotte, his story actually began at six weeks old. Doctors suspected hepatitis after he struggled to gain weight and keep food down. After exploratory surgery, life returned to normal — or so it seemed.   In...

Some inspire. And some ask us to lean in and truly listen.   This is one of those episodes.   In Episode 98, we introduce you to Shawn Kortes — a husband, a father, and a man courageously fighting for more time.   Shawn is in need of an O positive kidney transplant.   His story is real. It’s raw. And it’s unfolding right now.   He shares openly about: &nb...

Imagine entering this world on December 16, 1991… and just weeks later, on January 22, 1992, receiving the ultimate second chance — a heart transplant.   In Episode 97, we introduce you to Laszlo Mark, who is now celebrating 34 incredible years with his donor heart.   This is more than a survival story. This is a life fully lived.   Laszlo shares what it means to grow u...

In this episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we’re joined by Madison Staiger, a liver transplant recipient who received her life-saving transplant in December 2018 and recently celebrated her seven-year anniversary.   Madison shares how her journey began in February 2018, when what she believed was the flu quickly turned into a life-altering diagnosis of autoimm...

Last week, we introduced you to heart transplant recipient Bill Barschaw and his powerful journey of survival. This week, we continue that story through the eyes of his wife and caregiver, Val Barschaw.   After walking beside Bill through his heart transplant and witnessing the realities of hospital life firsthand, Val felt called to share what she learned — not just for patients, but f...

In this powerful conversation, we sit down with transplant recipient Bill Barschaw as he takes us back to the moment his life changed forever. What began as a routine medical visit unfolded into a diagnosis that would reshape his future — and ultimately lead to a life-saving heart transplant.   Bill shares how a routine checkup in 1990 led his primary doctor to refer him to a cardiologi...

In this deeply moving episode, we meet Caroline Mozare, a courageous young woman whose life changed forever after years of being undiagnosed—until her body could no longer fight on its own.   What began as unanswered questions and quiet suffering led Caroline to the hospital, where she learned the unthinkable: she needed a liver transplant to survive. As her condition rapidly declined,...

Welcome to Episode 92 of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast.   This week, we share the powerful and faith-filled story of Michael Adams, a double lung transplant recipient whose life has been defined by perseverance, courage, and gratitude.   Michael’s journey began as a young boy diagnosed with severe asthma. Years later, doctors discovered the true cause — cy...

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we share a powerful and honest story of survival, accountability, and redemption.   Our guest, Alyson Jeter, opens up about her journey to a life-saving liver transplant following alcohol-related liver failure. In her own words, Alyson courageously shares the realities of addiction, the road to recovery, and the moment she was gi...