2019 Jodi Harskamp

Name:                                    Jodi Harskamp

Type of Donation:             Living kidney donor

Age and Location:             Age 42 – Anchorage, AK

Donation Date:                   3/13/2017

Sponsor:                               Honored by Donate Life America

JODI’S STORY

Jodi Harskamp is a native Californian (Bay Area) transplanted to Anchorage, Alaska 12 years ago. She has been flying for over 20 years and is currently a Captain for Alaska Airlines. Jodi attended UC Berkeley, majoring in International Area Studies, focusing on economics in Latin America. She enjoys volunteering for organizations such as the Women in Aviation International, 99s, Read on the Fly, Girl Scouts, Big Climb Seattle, and Airline Pilots Association. She enjoys discussing organ donation with anyone who will listen and is a huge advocate for organ donation awareness. She is currently working on legislation to make Alaska an “opt out” state for organ donation. Jodi enjoys running mountains, participating in triathlons, and spending most of her time outdoors in the Alaska wilderness with her husband and 2 children. She recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and will be participating in the Transplant Games in England August 2019.

After Jodi survived a catastrophic house fire in 2012 and given her second chance at life, she decided to pay it forward by donating her kidney. Jenny Stansel, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, needed a kidney and Jodi answered the call. They were a perfect match and the transplant was on March 13, 2017. Jodi was 41. The surgery went as planned and the kidney started working in Jenny immediately.  One year later Jenny is taking flying lessons and Jodi continues to run mountains to raise awareness for organ donation.

When two people, who didn’t even know each other, share an event like this, it gives hope.  It shows the importance of our common humanity.  It’s a reminder that when someone steps up to help another human being it demonstrates our civic duty, to have civic virtues that makes civilization possible.  There is nothing more fulfilling as a human than to help another human being live.