Kimberly Young always liked to enjoy life to the fullest – travelling, meeting new people, experiencing new things, being at her best whenever and wherever she was. But her active lifestyle quickly came to a halt when she discovered that her body couldn’t keep up with her.
It started when her feet began swelling. Then she began getting winded during normal, everyday activities. Not sure why this was happening, Kim went to her doctor, who told her that her heart was enlarged and that she should see a cardiologist. The cardiologist put her on a specific regimen and recommended her a defibrillator, but they soon realized that wasn’t going to solve the issue. The only solution for long-term survival would be a heart transplant.
At the age of 18, Kim had become a donor at her local DMV. She was already familiar with organ donation and had always believed in the power of donation to save and heal lives.
“I always felt like [being an organ donor] was the right thing to do,” Kim said. “Because who knows what you can do as one person to help somebody else.”
But even though Kim believed in the mission of donation, she had very little idea of what the process of donation was like for both donors and recipients. For her, it was a long process full of hospital visits, checkups with multiple doctors, and waiting. Surprisingly, the waiting was one of the best parts.
“It restored my faith,” Kim said. "My faith was never shaken. I truly walked by faith and not by sight.” She would tell others that she didn’t know when her new heart would come, but that when it did she would go and live the best life she possibly could with her new heart.
Finally, about four months later, a nurse called to tell Kim that she had a heart.
“’Halleluiah!’ That was all I could say,” Kim said as she recalled that wonderful phone call. “I never had the perfect gift before but that was truly the perfect gift. It’s a kind of joy you can’t get from anything else, truly.”
Kim believes that she and her donor are a part of each other. She takes care of herself and her heart to honor her donor, whom she considers to be not just her heart but also her friend.
Today, Kim is living her best life just like she said she would. She has a relationship with her donor’s mother, celebrates the day she received the gift of life as her “second birthday,” and remains an advocate for donation. She shares her story with others to educate and encourage them to consider registering to be donors themselves.
“Organ donation saved my life and saves many, many lives,” Kim said. “I will not stop until I educate any community that doesn’t clearly understand the importance of organ donation.”