Rhonda Hill

Type of Donation:       kidney and Pancreas recipient

Age and Location:      Age 63 – Douglas, WY

Date of Transplant:           10/04/2000

Sponsor:                      Honored by Donor Alliance

RHONDA’S STORY

When she was 17 years old, Rhonda Hill was diagnosed with severe juvenile diabetes, and she learned that most people with her condition do not live past 40. However, thanks to the selfless gift of an organ donor, Rhonda's life began again at 40. Though she continued to live a full life, giving birth to her son Corey and pursuing her passion for horses, Rhonda was put on dialysis when her kidneys began to fail in her 30s. Day-to-day life became a struggle as she often awoke in the middle of the night to combat low blood sugar with the assistance of her parents, young son, and local EMTs. Toward the end of a particularly discouraging day in October of 2000, Rhonda got the call she had been waiting on for 18 months – the one that told her a stranger's end-of-life decision would give her a second chance to live. Rhonda said she realized that although it was possibly the happiest day of her life, it had quite possibly been the saddest for someone else. For the past 15 years, with a new kidney and pancreas, Rhonda has advocated for organ donation, working with developmentally disabled adults, and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. In 2022, Rhonda's husband passed away, and became a tissue donor. Rhonda now relishes the time she has with her son and family, including her four horses and two dogs – all without the confines and restrictions of juvenile diabetes or dialysis. "My donor saved two other people that night – my kidney brother, as I call him, Salvador, and my liver brother, Phil. And I know she changed the lives of many others that same night in October of 2000 with her gifts. I think of her and thank her every day."