It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving when Kathryn Hart’s life took an unexpected turn. Prior to that day, Hart was the epitome of an active individual. She was a runner, a yoga enthusiast, a horseback rider and an artist who painted and sculpted large pieces. Her active lifestyle was threatened however, when on that Sunday in 2004 Hart fell two stories from a ladder, shattering her leg.

“It was completely and totally shattered. The doctor told me he stopped counting after two dozen pieces of bone,” said Hart.
As a market researcher, Hart had worked in the donation industry, even doing research for the tissue bank that provided her allograft bone.

“I knew that I would probably need donor bone, so I asked specifically about it,” said Hart. “In my fever and drug-induced state, I asked the doctor if he planned to use donor bone and if so, whose it was. He responded with, ‘Who are you?’”

Though the main injury was her shattered leg, Hart’s body responded to the inflammation caused by the fall with a fever of over 104 degrees.

“They kept me in the hospital for a week because my fever was so high,” said Hart. “I was packed in ice until my fever lowered, so they could go ahead with the surgery.”
Once her fever was down, Hart was in the operating room for five hours as doctors repaired her leg. All doctors could tell her was that she would walk again.
Running and yoga like she was accustomed however, was still in question.

“The recovery was horrible and very painful,” said Hart. “My leg swelled up to four times its size.”
To cope with being on crutches for five months, she continued to do yoga with one leg. When those five months came to an end, she finally started walking again.

“Ultimately, I healed very successfully,” said Hart. “The accident happened at the end of 2004, by May of 2005 I was walking and six months after that, I started jogging again.”
Though Hart was already a registered donor and familiar with the donation industry, she felt especially motived after her surgery.

“Even if I didn’t know the industry, I would be a huge advocate for donation based on the results of my surgery alone,” said Hart.
A year after she received donor bone, Hart was back to running, yoga, painting and sculpting.

“The decision these donor families make is a really, really big one,” said Hart. “Because of the person and family who donated this bone, I am allowed to live my life in the unique way that only I can. Each of us has a special gift to give, and I can give mine thanks to this donor.”

 “When I got word from my doctor that my senior year of lacrosse was over, I was devastated,” said Cameron McDonald.

During a game, Cameron injured his ankle.  Thinking it was a minor injury, he continued playing.  Despite initially thinking it was just a sprain, he woke up the next morning to an ankle swollen to the size of a basketball.   

“We went to the emergency room wondering if my ankle was broken or shattered,” said McDonald.  The news was grim. Cameron’s ankle was completely shattered.  In his mind, his lacrosse playing days were over. 

His doctor however, had a different idea. He knew about a procedure that been successfully performed on over 40 adults. 

“They said the procedure involved  using cartilage from a child donor and injecting into ankle,” said McDonald.  Though no one as young as Cameron had ever had the procedure, he and his doctors decided it was his best option.  The procedure was a success.

“I was out of the hospital in about four hours and I only had to stay on pain medicine for about three or four days,” said McDonald.

After just two weeks of recovery, Cameron was back working with his trainer on his upper body strength and flexibility while his ankle was recovering.  By the second month, he was in a walking boot going to all of his classes.

“This procedure clearly allowed me the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love, lacrosse,” said McDonald. “My doctor said that without this new technology I was unlikely to ever have the mobility necessary to play lacrosse at the college level.  If I had gotten pins and screws installed instead of this procedure I am sure I would not be on my school’s team today.”

When first told about the procedure, Cameron felt uneasy. He realized that while he was recovering, a family would be grieving.

“I understood that a family lost a very young child so I could get healthy again,” McDonald said. “But at the same time, they were brave enough to honor their family member by donating their organs and tissue.  The more I thought about the surgery and the gift I was getting, the more I realized the best way to honor my donor was to live my life to its fullest.”

Cameron not only tells his friends and family to become donors, he also thinks of his donor family while he plays the sport he so loves.

“There are many times when I am tired in practice or a game when I have a quick thought to dig a bit deeper as a small measure of thanks for all that I have been given,” McDonald said.  “I feel that I am tremendously fortunate to have been given such a gift.”

“In the fall of 2009, I began having pain and swelling in my right knee,” said Richards. “By January 2010, I was unable to ski or play tennis.”

Soon the pain in her knee began impacting her everyday activities.

“I found that the long hours standing and working out with my team were becoming increasingly painful,” said Richards. 

After going through physical therapy, Richards still found no relief from the constant pain.  As a result, she opted for surgery to repair what was thought to be a torn meniscus.

“During the surgery, my doctor discovered a hole in the meniscus,” said Richards.   “During a subsequent consultation, he told me that the only cure would be a tissue transplant.”

Richards planned to delay the surgery until after her long-awaited family vacation to Alaska.  After an increase in pain and swelling however, she decided to move forward with the process. Richards was advised to stay near home so when a match became available, she could head into surgery.  While with her team in the Pocono Mountains, Richards got a call saying a donor had been secured.

“My team and other coaches knew I was waiting for a call and gave me a big send off as I left to return home.” 

Due to the intricate nature of Richards’ procedure, she was unable to put weight on her leg for six weeks.  During those six weeks, she wore a brace that extended from her ankle to her upper thigh. Richards used the brace as a way to start conversations about tissue donation, even conversing with local doctors.

After six weeks, Richards removed the brace and for the first time put limited weight on her donated meniscus.

“I had absolutely no pain and was able to walk unassisted within two days,” said Richards.

After rebuilding her strength through regular exercise, Richards returned to playing tennis in the spring of 2011.  That same summer, Richards and her family made it to Alaska for their long-delayed vacation.

“We took our postponed trip to Alaska for three weeks during that summer and I was able to hike, horseback ride and raft without worry,” said Richards.

Because of the gift of donation, Richards has a new approach to life.

“I feel I was given a huge gift from the tissue donor and want to respect that gift by doing my share to stay healthy” said Richards.

Richards continues to speak openly about organ and tissue donation to friends, family and the cheerleading team she once coached.

“I hope that seeing me benefit from the generosity of a stranger would set an example for them and their families to dothe same,” said Richards.

After making a full recovery, Richards continues to be grateful for the gift. “If I was able to speak to my donor, I would be humbled by their selfless contribution,” said Richards.  

 “I’ve always believed that the measure of a person’s life is not the job they held, the “titles” they’ve earned, or the outward trappings of “success” that they have acquired, but rather the lives they have touched along their journey.”