(Baker and Scottie, with their grandmother Vicki)
An interview with Vicki's daughter, Kristy
How has the donation journey impacted your family?
My mom loved to tell me that we have no control over the cards we are dealt in life – only how we play them. Our transplant journey involved my mom being placed on the waitlist for a double-lung transplant and ending full circle with her being an organ donor herself; I can't think of a quote more fitting.
Saying goodbye to my mom and making the decision to take her off life support was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Knowing that my mom could donate her organs and prevent someone else from having to experience that same goodbye, gave me some peace. As my children grow older, I hope they feel the same sense of pride in my mom's journey as I do.
(Kristy with her daughters Baker, Elliott and Scottie)
What are some of your favorite memories with your mom?
My mom absolutely loved Mickey Mouse and Disney. She went all out for Christmas every year and she had an entire tree filled with Disney ornaments. We vacationed at Disneyland often growing up and my mom thought it was the most magical place on earth. She knew every Disney movie and couldn't wait to take my kids there.
Growing up, my mom was a stay-at-home parent and always had a batch of cookies or muffins waiting for me when I'd get home from school. She cooked dinner almost every night and on Sundays, she loved to make a huge roast beef dinner. Not long after she passed away, I started baking and cooking all her recipes that she left me in a cookbook and there's just something about making her recipes and smelling all those familiar scents that makes me feel close to her even now, five years later.
Is there a message you'd like to share with your mom's recipients?
If there was one thing I could share with my mom's organ recipients, it would be how happy I am that they got their transplant and how grateful I am that my mom got to play a role in that.
(Kristy with her mother, Vicki)
