Let's Talk Hope

Christine Ho received the call one day that any wife dreads: Her husband was in an accident. Hear what happens next as Chicago Police Officer Jonathan Ho ultimately saves lives, through the family’s experience with organ and tissue donation.

Police officer Mark wondered if he’d ever be able to roller skate again. He’d waited for a liver transplant for nearly a decade. With less than three days left to live Mark received a life-saving donation. Now, he reflects on his journey to health and shares his story to help spread awareness about organ donation among minority communities. 

When Police Officer Tommy Butts needed a kidney transplant, his wife Sarah took to social media to find a donor. It didn’t come in time for Tommy. But Sarah’s outreach motivated a state trooper hundreds of miles away to become a donor. She inspired one person—now she wants to inspire 100.  Sarah shares what it was like through Tommy’s diagnosis and dialysis, the wait, his death, his own organ &amp...

“I’m not gonna live the rest of my life like this.” Debilitating back pain plagued Chicago CEO Tiffany Mathis for years, until spinal surgery using a donor’s bone tissue. She talks about how she took charge of her care to get there, the challenges facing Black and Brown communities, and the need to talk more about organ and tissue donation. 

When Police Officer Tommy Butts needed a kidney transplant, his wife Sarah took to social media to find a donor. It didn’t come in time for Tommy. But Sarah’s outreach motivated a state trooper hundreds of miles away to become a donor. She inspired one person—now she wants to inspire 100.  Sarah shares what it was like through Tommy’s diagnosis and dialysis, the wait, his death, his own organ &amp...

A minor car accident forced Daru Smith to get an in-depth medical exam. The exam uncovered critical health problems that ultimately led to an almost unbelievable situation: Daru needed a new heart, a new kidney and a new liver.

When it comes to grief, everyone follows their own timeline. After years of grieving their son’s loss following a tragic accident, John Beach found solace in attending the 2022 Transplant Games in San Diego. On this episode, listen to John and Joy Beach talk about the meaning that organ & tissue donation brought to their lives after their son John became a donor, their path to healing and the...

“My dad was a real practical guy. He wanted to be as useful and helpful as he could.” When Tish Hevel’s father died from dementia, his brain was donated for science. Since then, Tish and her sister have worked to educate people about brain donation and to simplify the process.  

Police officer Mark wondered if he’d ever be able to roller skate again. He’d waited for a liver transplant for nearly a decade. With less than three days left to live Mark received a life-saving donation. Now, he reflects on his journey to health and shares his story to help spread awareness about organ donation among minority communities. 

Rocío Muñoz tenía una enfermedad renal tan grave que en pocos años acumuló 76 visitas a la sala de emergencias y 13 cirugías. Su situación se volvió tan severa que la unica esperanza para ella era recibir un trasplante de riñon. Una Navidad recibieron una llamada diciendo que habian encontrado un riñon compatible, y ella y su esposo Gerardo Huerta se fueron al hospital, llenos de esperanza y al mi...

A former bodybuilder, Phil Hanks is a grateful recipient of six transplanted organs. He has lived through cancer, hepatitis C, diabetes and kidney failure. Phil credits his faith, his wife, and his organ donors for this second chance at life. Listen to Phil's story, and his perspective on taking care of yourself and having hope, on Let’s Talk Hope. 

Cuando Miguel López murió de un aneurisma cerebral a los 42 años, su esposa y sus dos hijas se enteraron de la oportunidad de donar órganos y tejidos y pensaron que no habría mejor manera de honrar la vida de Miguel y su generosidad. Escuche a Patty López compartir la historia de su padre en este episodio de Hablemos de la esperanza.   After 42-year-old Miguel Lopez died from a brain aneurysm, his...

“I could feel my heart beating in my chest again.” After receiving a heart and kidney transplant, Harry now spreads hope to people facing health problems like he once did. Listen to Harry tell his story, and the advice he gives others about staying healthy.

Paul Cardall was born with half of a heart and given only a year to live. Today, he is a transplant recipient and Dove Award-winning pianist known by audiences around the world. Paul began playing piano to heal himself, but the story of his heart transplant, his donor and the way he inspires others is as moving as the songs he writes.

It was only a cough. When Pastor Joseph Kyles saw a doctor about his cough, he was shocked to learn that he would need a double lung transplant. He was fortunate. The call came in time with news that a lung donor was available to save his life. Today, Pastor Kyles’ donated lungs are like treasures that help him enrich the church and community he serves.

After spinal surgery, John Kachanuk learned that donated tissue was the key to his new pain-free life. Now he’s on a mission to honor his donors and advocate for tissue donation. Hear John describe how, for him, tissue donation was not just life-enhancing—it’s been life-changing.

After her baby Riley died at 3 months old, Autumn and her family chose organ donation to help heal others. What they didn’t expect was how much Riley’s life-giving legacy would heal them. 

Christine Ho received the call one day that any wife dreads: Her husband was in an accident. Hear what happens next as Chicago Police Officer Jonathan Ho ultimately saves lives, through the family’s experience with organ and tissue donation.

After Laurie Lee’s dad was saved by a liver transplant, she chose to donate her kidney to a stranger. She wanted to repay the gift that her family was given and set off a chain of donations that saved six people waiting for transplants. From Laurie’s perspective, it was a beautiful way to honor the organ donor who saved her father’s life.

After Kimberly Johnson received a lifesaving transplant, she wrote a letter to her donor’s family. She heard back six months later, and what she learned about her donor amazed her. What they share goes far beyond the kidney Kimberly received. You hear people say that life imitates art. In this case, life imitates science—the science of donation.

One of the most challenging parts of the donation process is the wait for a transplant. Laura Barajas reflects on receiving her brother’s kidney, and what her current wait is like. Plus, former United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) public relations director Lisa Schaffner explains how the national waiting list operates.  

Sometimes life and death decisions hinge upon knowing when and where to go to get  life saving tissue or organ transplants and how to get help paying for them. With language and cultural barriers, it's even more difficult. Two remarkable women are helping to provide this service for many of our Latino communities in need. They are Catalina Ramos-Hernandez and Jennifer Aguilera . They talk to host...

Making the decision to donate a loved one’s organs is never easy, even when you work for an organ procurement organization. Shaun Martin , Director of Tissue Recovery at Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network had to make that decision when his son Matthew passed away in 2020 at the age of 15. The Martin family decided to give the the life enhancing gift of tissue an area of donation that isn’...

Let's Talk Hope podcast host Marion Shuck was recently interviewed about her work with the organization by Monica Fox , podcast host of The Journey Continues .  Through her work at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, Marion helped countless families make the powerful decision to donate their loved ones’ tissue and organs. When her husband of 33 years, Reggie, suddenly passed away, she f...

Let’s Talk Hope has put together a compilation of inspiring stories from our best podcast guests sharing their journey and connection to organ, eye and tissue donation.