lifesourcemndak posted at Instagram:

In 2017, Loretta began to feel her energy level rapidly decreasing. Once the woman who worked tirelessly, always putting others first, now found grocery shopping and other simple tasks nearly impossible to finish.

During an appointment at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, she learned that her heart was functioning at only 10%. The exhaustion she’d been trying to push through now made sense.

Her health continued to decline, and soon the conversations turned into something she had never imagined for herself: a heart transplant. She tried to stay strong, something she knew how to do very well after surviving breast cancer years earlier.

Then came February 8, 2017. It was her sister’s birthday, a day they usually celebrated at Red Lobster. Loretta received a phone call, now giving them another reason to celebrate. She was getting a second chance at life.

Loretta screamed. She jumped up from her desk at work. She mouthed to a coworker, I got a heart.
Moments later, emotions overtook her — joy, fear, gratitude all at once. “Someone died for me to live,” she kept repeating. That truth sat heavy on her, even as hope surged.

Today, Loretta is still here to tell her story – something she never takes for granted. She often thinks of her donor: a 20-year-old man from California. Though she hasn’t written to the donor family yet, she carries him with her always. She carries his gift. And she carries a message she now shares with others:

“Listen to your body. Listen to your doctors. Treat people well. And let someone else live through you.
Register as a donor.”

#organdonation #savelives #organtransplant

Source: Instagram,
Account-Name: lifesourcemndak

Created on: 2026-02-04 00:04:44