Elsa Garcia-Chau

Type of Donation:       heart recipient

Age and Location:      Age 61 – Artesia, CA

Date of Donation:           02/28/2023

Sponsor:                      Honored by OneLegacy

ELSA’S STORY

Whether volunteering for the Special Olympics as a finish-line hugger and coach or helping hungry students in the classroom with her arsenal of snacks, Elsa has always put others first.

It was no surprise that at age 16, the Norwalk native "checked the box" to become a registered organ donor. She then understood the value of giving, never once imagining that a stranger's generosity would one day give her the greatest gift of all.

In her minivan, Elsa shuttled her children to soccer practice, community art events, or an occasional Bruce Springsteen concert. As an English teacher in Santa Ana, in Alternative Education, she always put student needs first, earning her the name, "Mama Chau." After reading an article about the plight of the honeybees, Mama Chau and her husband started backyard beekeeping to support pollinators. Their calming "buzz" as they managed the hives helped her maintain a sense of awe and wonder.

At first, Elsa dismissed her heart symptoms. When she received her heart failure diagnosis, she kept up her busy pace until hospitalizations from her ICD shocks began to impact her life.  As her heart failure worsened, she was no longer able to teach or keep up with the bees. Family and friends smiled through worried glances. Throughout her illness, family humor and quick wit provided the support needed to weather uncertainty.  They both maintained hope, no matter how many IVs were running through her body. The unspoken pact was positivity. "In it, to win it" became the family mantra.

On February 28, 2023, at age 59, Elsa received a lifesaving heart transplant from an anonymous donor. Her adventure continues because a generous person checked the "YES" box. Her donated heart has enabled Elsa to return to a quality of life full of laughter, game nights, and hugging grandkids – two of them were born after her transplant.

Although she has retired from teaching, she is active in the Transplant community as an advocate, a volunteer Ambassador for OneLegacy, and a Womenheart Champion. She enjoys her Abuela duties as she now shuttles her grandkids around in her green Subaru.