2016 Makenzie Kern

MAKENZIE KERN

ACL Tissue Graft Recipient

Age 16 ~ Harper, TX

Student

Honored by bacterin.com

Makenzie Kern’s life was changed by Jacob Krebs’ (2015 floragraph honoree) gift of donation.  At the age of 14, she was excited to be adding field hockey to the list of sports she already enjoyed.  About half way through the season, she began to experience a lot of pain in her right knee.  She continued to play but she was struggling to run and complained of pain every day.  After multiple visits and tests, an exploratory surgery was conducted only to find out that Makenzie’s ACL was 90% torn. It was through Jacob’s loss and generous donation of a tissue graft that her knee was able to be repaired.  The transplant Makenzie received that day has meant everything to her.  Her life has returned to the activities she loved and enjoyed, but now she has a deeper appreciation of life.

Makenzie’s Story

Makenzie Kern’s life was changed by Jacob Krebs’ gift of donation.  At the age of 14, she was excited to be adding field hockey to the list of sports she already enjoyed.  About half way through the season, she began to experience a lot of pain in her right knee.  She continued to play (because she loved the sport so much) but she was struggling to run and complained of pain every day.  After a visit to a specialist, and a few rounds of physical therapy, she was told that she would just have to deal with the pain.  There was nothing else that could be done to help her.  Finally, after visiting another specialist, the decision was made to do exploratory surgery to find the cause of her pain.  During the surgery it was discovered that her ACL was 90% torn.  The doctor couldn’t believe it.  At this point he decided that because her own hamstring was not large enough to create a new ACL he would need to use a graft from a donor.  This is where Jacob Krebs became an integral part of her life.  It was through his family’s loss and generous donation of a tissue graft that her knee was able to be repaired.
The gift that she received from Jacob that day has meant everything to her.  She has always been an active person from playing recreational soccer and softball at the age of 7 to playing on travel teams at the age of 10 and finally playing field hockey and softball at the high school level. She can’t imagine her life without the ability to play sports.  Joining the high school sports teams has helped her to meet friends, build her confidence and enjoy school beyond books and classes.  Even beyond sports she loves to run, hike and swim.  Without Jacob’s gift her life would have changed completely.  Part of “who I am” is an athlete, a runner and an active person.  The gift of a graft that Jacob has given her has made her who she is and has allowed her to continue to do what she enjoys.  It is difficult for her to express just how important the gift of tissue donation has been in her life but she knows that she’s eternally grateful to Jacob Krebs a young man she never had the opportunity to meet.  Makenzie feels it is now her responsibility to live her life in a way that honors the young man who gave her the opportunity to live life to the fullest, Jacob Krebs.
Makenzie is the Vice President of the Future Educators Association for the state of NJ and fosters homeless dogs.