Alvin Grant started college happily, not suspecting cardiomyopathy would put him on the waiting list for a heart transplant. With his new heart, he is finishing school and hopes to educate others as to how “the decision to donate can save lives."

Alvin's Story

In the fall of 2004, Alvin Grant, now 20, started his freshman year at Wagner College on Staten Island, NY. He began to feel unusually tired for no apparent reason. He also started to lose weight, while everyday tasks like walking to class felt like a chore.

Alvin managed to finish his first semester before heading to Albany Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and put on a drug therapy. But his condition worsened and he returned to the hospital instead of school in January. After much consideration and discussion with friends and family, Alvin was placed on the transplant waiting list in February 2005.

“After my decision, the only thing to do was to wait,” said Alvin. “I didn’t know whether it would be a month or even a year or two before a donor would be found. I passed the time by reading books, drawing, and talking and playing board games with my friends and family when they visited me in the hospital. I also spent time educating myself on all the facts about heart transplantation, and the benefits as well as the challenges it imposed. But eventually, this routine became tiresome; I wanted to get back to my regular life.”

Luckily, Alvlin didn’t have long to wait. On the night of April 15, 2005, Alvin got “the call” from a nurse practitioner, saying that a suitable donor had been found.

“When I awoke from surgery, I knew the operation had been a success,” said Alvin. “I had a long road ahead of me, but I was just so thankful for everyone who was instrumental in getting me to this point. This included the nursing staff, the transplant team, friends and family, and of course the donor, who so graciously decided to donate his/her organs and saved my life.

“Since that day, I have striven to retain the life that I had. I’m currently finishing college and preparing for a career as a graphic designer. I am thrilled to be chosen by the Center for Donation & Transplant to ride the Donate Life float in honor of donors and recipients. Hopefully, by sharing my story and being a float rider, I can educate people on the importance of donation and how making the decision to donate can save lives.”