In 1995, Glenn Matsuki caught a flu that progressed rapidly from an infection to congestive heart failure, and within five weeks he was in need of a heart transplant. In gratitude for his renewed life, Glenn wrote to his donor family but did not hear back. “There was a void, a strong feeling that I needed to...show my appreciation.” Glenn subsequently served as a program administrator for the Cedars-Sinai Liver and Kidney Transplant Program, then became a hospital services coordinator with OneLegacy. Today Glenn runs a popular national organ donation blog.

Glenn's Story

In 1995, Glenn Matsuki caught a flu that progressed rapidly from an infection to congestive heart failure. He gained 40 pounds of excess fluid in the process, and within five weeks he was in need of a heart transplant.

His 11 weeks on the transplant waiting list were filled with reminders that his heart might stop at any moment. “Everything I did was labored. I continually gasped for breath to catch enough air, my heartbeat and breathing was entirely out of sync,” recalled Glenn. “I was down to 135 pounds from my normal 165 and declining rapidly. Flesh just hung from my skeletal frame. My fingertips were turning blue.”

After his transplant, Glenn said that he “could feel that it was a good heart immediately, it beat strongly and emitted soothing warmth throughout my body all they way down to my finger tips. There was a good aura that passed through my body with every contraction. My dreams were sweet, ethereal, filled with bright colors of rebirth.”

Glenn’s post-transplant recovery still holds the record at Cedars-Sinai-Sinai Medical Center. He was admitted on a Saturday and went home the following Friday. The very next day, he was on his roof making repairs and painting his house.

In gratitude for his renewed life, Glenn wrote to his donor family but did not hear back. “There was a void, a strong feeling that I needed to do something, a need to give back, to show my appreciation,” Glenn asserted. “It was a no-brainer that I had to devote the remainder of my life to honor my donor.”

Glenn was a “Heart Families” volunteer at Cedars-Sinai for nine years and program administrator for the Liver and Kidney Transplant Program, where he worked to improve the transplant patient experience, helped to create two annual transplant patient activities, established donor awareness programs, participated in high school educational programs and became a member of the Donate Life Rose Parade Float Committee.

In 2006, Glenn became a hospital services coordinator with OneLegacy, the organ and tissue recovery organization serving the seven-county greater Los Angeles area. “I work with hospitals to recognize that compassionate end-of-life care can bring meaning and comfort through the donation process. It is the right thing to do.”

Today Glenn runs a popular national blog on organ donation and is active in his community. Each April he contributes to National Donate Life Month observances by bringing together his Long Beach community to raise the Donate Life flag. As a result, the Long Beach mayor and city council members have taken the donation cause to heart and continue to encourage citizens to register to become donors.