Tony Young

Type of Donation:          heart and kidney recipient

Age and Location:          Age 47 – Parker, CO

Donation Date:             3/07/2020 and 3/09/2020

Sponsor:                   Honored by Donor Alliance

TONY’S STORY

Like so many others, Tony Young’s transplant journey has been a whirlwind. He had his first heart attack when he was just 25 years old and a second at age 30. He was in and out of the hospital with congestive heart failure and varying degrees of kidney failure for most of the last decade. After being hospitalized yet again in February 2020, he was told he wouldn’t be leaving with his native heart.

As he laid in his hospital bed every night after discussing potential transplant matches with his doctor, Tony said all he could think about were the families. “All of these families had suffered a terrible tragedy but were turning their pain into an opportunity to save lives.”

In March 2020, Tony was fortunate to receive good news when a heart and a kidney became available for him. The transplants saved his life. “It was a true miracle amidst what had been some dark days,” said Tony.

Tony hasn’t had the privilege of meeting his donor’s family, but he’s eternally grateful to not only his donor, but all donors and donor families.

Like many people, Tony hasn’t been doing a lot because of the pandemic, but thanks to his donor, he’s been able to find renewed joy in being able to do simple things that can be easily taken for granted. He’s cooking, grocery shopping, and driving his car again. He also volunteers with Donor Alliance in the organization’s Advocates for Life program to educate and inspire the public about donation. One of the best things though, according to Tony, has been being able to get back to one of his favorite hobbies, drumming. “I started drumming in 4th grade and played in marching band, jazz bands, gospel groups, rock bands and even recorded a few albums. It feels so good to be able to pick it back up again.”