Finding the Support you Need - Transplant Experience
Transplant Experience
Meet Glenn Matsuki
Transplanted organ: heart (1995)
Occupation: donation development coordinator, OneLegacy
For Glenn Matsuki, finding the support he needed on his transplant journey has inspired him to be an advocate for himself, as well as for the transplant community.
Glenn's transplant story
Healthy, athletic, and just 45 years old, Glenn never thought he would need a heart transplant. But in the winter of 1995, he caught an aggressive virus that, within five weeks, left him in congestive heart failure. It became clear that he would need a new heartâ€"and fast.
Fortunately, Glenn's situation just as quickly took a turn for the better. After just 11 weeks on the transplant list, Glenn was notified that he would receive a new heart. His transplant procedure was a success, giving him the swiftest recovery time of any transplant recipient at the Cedars-Sinai Transplant Center.
As grateful as Glenn was for this second chance at life, he in many ways grieved for the life of his donorâ€"that "someone had to die, so I could live." And although he never had a chance to meet his donor family and personally thank them for his new gift, he was determined to show his gratitude in other ways.
On giving support
Glenn has since become a lifelong advocate for the transplant community. Whether it's helping others with the emotional struggles of transplantation, leading one of the first Donate Life chapters in California, or raising transplant awareness at a national levelâ€"Glenn firmly believes that "the 17 years of support I've given to the transplant community isn't nearly as rewarding as the relationships and experiences I've gained in return."
Transplanted organ: heart (1995)
Occupation: donation development coordinator, OneLegacy
For Glenn Matsuki, finding the support he needed on his transplant journey has inspired him to be an advocate for himself, as well as for the transplant community.
Glenn's transplant story
Healthy, athletic, and just 45 years old, Glenn never thought he would need a heart transplant. But in the winter of 1995, he caught an aggressive virus that, within five weeks, left him in congestive heart failure. It became clear that he would need a new heartâ€"and fast.
Fortunately, Glenn's situation just as quickly took a turn for the better. After just 11 weeks on the transplant list, Glenn was notified that he would receive a new heart. His transplant procedure was a success, giving him the swiftest recovery time of any transplant recipient at the Cedars-Sinai Transplant Center.
As grateful as Glenn was for this second chance at life, he in many ways grieved for the life of his donorâ€"that "someone had to die, so I could live." And although he never had a chance to meet his donor family and personally thank them for his new gift, he was determined to show his gratitude in other ways.
On giving support
Glenn has since become a lifelong advocate for the transplant community. Whether it's helping others with the emotional struggles of transplantation, leading one of the first Donate Life chapters in California, or raising transplant awareness at a national levelâ€"Glenn firmly believes that "the 17 years of support I've given to the transplant community isn't nearly as rewarding as the relationships and experiences I've gained in return."
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