Honoring Our Heroes

UNYTS

Unyts is paying tribute to our heroes of organ, eye and tissue donation. It seemed fitting to call this new endeavour “Honoring our Heroes”. We know that for the families of these donors, they really are heroes, and we certainly feel the same way.

We are truly honored to share these very touching personal stories each month. If you would like to honor a hero, please read below. The month of November, we honor…

Kristina Zornes
Story told by her Aunt Diane

Just before her third birthday, my niece Jessica woke up one morning with her little body completely swollen. After rushing to the hospital and going through many tests, it turned out she had kidney disease. She waited until she was 8 years old for a donor- a young man who was killed in a motorcycle accident. In their grief, his family still thought of others and my niece got a chance for a somewhat normal life.

We wish we could have thanked the family.

Ten years ago, Jessica’s donor kidney failed. She was 21. There was no hesitation. Jessica’s sister, Kristina, stepped up and said she would give Jessica one of hers. Jessica is now 31yrs old. Kristina is 32. What better way to show someone how much you love them than by actually giving them a piece of yourself? An actual piece! Both girls are fine. Jessica will always be on medications. She doesn’t mind though, because she is alive!

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