Bonnie Lundy-Kwan was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy at age 17. Her future was bleak, with her only hope a heart transplant. She received a heart at the age of 21 from an acquaintance, and was inspired to live her life in the service of others experiencing medical hardships.

Bonnie's Story

Diagnosed with heart-enlarging viral cardiomyophy at age 17, Bonnie Lundy-Kwan spent the last years of her adolescence living with dying. “When my life should have been filled with hopes and dreams, I woke each day with a sense of impending doom, knowing that it could be my last and that my future was bleak. My only hope was a heart transplant.”

Bonnie recalled, “In August 1992, when I was 21 years old, I came to know Shay Ledbetter. That summer as I lay dying in Houston, she was experiencing life as it should be lived by someone our age. I was in the nadir of my life, and she was at the zenith of hers, attending graduate school in sociology at the University of North Texas and making big plans for her future. On August 3, our fates suddenly reversed. While taking an evening walk, a vehicle struck her from behind. Suffering a closed head injury, she lay in a coma for five days before being declared brain dead.”

Following her wishes, the Ledbetter family made the decision to donate Shay’s organs, and the next day Bonnie received her heart. Realizing the magnitude of the gift she had been given, Bonnie felt that she had a responsibility to make the most of her life and to keep Shay’s memory alive.

After her transplant, Bonnie chose to pursue a meaningful career in the non-profit sector and began volunteering with Transplants for Children (TFC). “I quickly realized that I had a powerful story to tell, and that my talent was to lead others by example, thus providing hope to every mother, father, and child that their dreams for a rich, fulfilling life were still very achievable,” said Bonnie.

After six years of working with the National Kidney Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association in San Antonio, Bonnie became executive director of Transplants for Children in 2005. Her vision and top priority for TFC was to build a transplant-friendly housing facility for the children and their families, which will soon break ground. “I take great pride in knowing I am able to help families emotionally and financially who are experiencing the same hardships I did, not so long ago,” said Bonnie.

Outside of TFC, Bonnie is also involved in educating the public about the importance of organ donation. In 2003 and 2004, she completed the 700-mile Circle of Life bicycle tour across Texas. For seven straight days, she rode 100 miles and stopped in cities across the state to spread the message and share her story. She was the first organ transplant recipient to complete this ride.

“Shay is my breath, my voice, my strength and my motivation to continue. We are a team,” added Bonnie. “Too often organ recipients are the focus of attention, when in fact the donors and their families are the real heroes. I was dying and could not make the choice to live when Shay saved my life. Now I feel in my own way that I’m saving hers.”