In September 2005, after developing a mild case of pneumonia, 10-year-old Brittany Grimm was diagnosed with a rare heart disease. Less than two years later, a determination that she would need a heart transplant became urgent when she collapsed at home, and on May 4, 2007, Brittany received a heart. “I do not know who my donor was, but I am hopeful that one day I will get to meet the family that he left behind and show them that because he was a donor, he gave me life and that he lives in me.”

Brittany's Story

In September 2005, after developing a mild case of pneumonia, 10-year-old Brittany Grimm was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a rare heart disease that affects about one in 100,000 people. After being closely followed by physicians for two years, it was decided that Brittany needed a heart transplant, and she was placed on the national organ transplant waiting list.

That spring, before Brittany even made it to the scheduled appointment to start the process, she collapsed at her home. Five days after being admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit, she was placed on the transplant waiting list and upgraded to Status 1A because of her critical condition.

On the morning of May 4, Brittany was told that a heart had been located for her and that the surgery would be later that day. “My family and I were very emotional, and I was scared, anxious, nervous, and afraid that I may not survive the surgery,” Brittany remembered. “But at the same time, I was happy that the doctors were going to make me healthy again. The other emotion that we experienced was one of sadness knowing that another human being, who was so gracious to donate his organs to help others, had lost his life. I do not know who my donor was, but I am hopeful that one day I will get to meet the family that he left behind and show them that because he was a donor, he gave me life and that he lives in me.”

Britanny returned home after “two months of being away from home and not knowing if or when I was ever going to see the rest of my family and friends again. I made it back to school on the last day of classes before summer vacation. I wanted to thank the whole school for all the cards, emails, gifts and especially all the prayers that they said for me every day that I was in the hospital. It was important to me to show them that I am alive because of organ donation.”

Brittany, who is now 15 and in ninth grade, goes to schools and organizations in her community to talk about her story and inspire people to donate life. She believes that “if I tell one person every day about my transplant and organ donation, that I am helping the thousands of people who are still waiting for an organ.”