2019 Jenny Stansel

Name:                                     Jenny Stansel

Type of Donation:             Kidney recipient

Age and Location:             Age 40 – Anchorage, AK

Transplant Date:                 March 13, 2017

Sponsor:                               Honored by Sallop

JENNY’S STORY

Diagnosed at the age of 23 with kidney failure, Jenny Stansel continued to live her life as normally as possible.

Jenny never let her diagnosis or effects of her illness deprive her of the experience and joy of being a mother to her three children, and a partner to the love of her life. She pushed her physical challenges aside in order to participate in school events and community functions.

Jenny’s career as a flight attendant has allowed her to venture the remote communities of Alaska, her beloved home state, enjoying fishing trips with her family and friends, and experiencing the Alaskan wilderness and cultures.

In December 2012 a colleague of Jenny’s, Jodi Harskamp, an airline pilot who was unaware of Jenny’s physical diagnosis, suffered a house fire that left her and her family displaced. When Jenny offered a compassionate gesture to Jodi and her family at that time, she had no way of knowing that the gesture would be returned in a way that many could not fathom. On March 13, 2017, at the age of 38, Jenny received a kidney from her living donor, Jodi Harskamp. Jodi and Jenny, along with their families, remain friends to this day and continue to pursue their love of flying while advocating for living donor support and organ donation. Jodi will also be honored on the 2019 Donate Life float as a walker.