Gift of Life

On this episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Brigid Bergan, a woman whose life has been shaped by courage, determination, and hope.

For more than 20 years, Brigid has lived with serious liver disease. Through countless doctor visits, treatments, and challenges, she has continued to push forward with strength and grace. But now, after two decades of fighting, her condition has progressed to the point where she urgently needs a liver transplant.

Today, Brigid is searching for a living liver donor with a blood type of A or O. While the road ahead is uncertain, she remains hopeful that someone will step forward and offer the incredible gift of life.

In this heartfelt conversation, Brigid shares her journey, the realities of living with chronic liver disease, the emotional challenges of waiting for a transplant, and the hope that keeps her moving forward each day. Her story is a powerful reminder of how organ donation changes lives and how one person’s decision can create a future for someone desperately in need.

If you have ever wondered about living donation, or if you’ve been looking for a way to make a life-changing difference, this episode will inspire you and show the profound impact that one act of generosity can have.

If you are blood type A or O and would like to learn more about helping Brigid, we encourage you to explore living donation and see if you might be able to give the gift that could save her life.

Facebook Page: ALIVER4Brigid https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1D1Z512wr9/

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

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More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget – Grab your copy today! Available on Amazon in paperback and eBook.

If this episode touched your heart, please help us spread the message:

• Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
• Share this episode with family and friends.
• Help raise awareness about the life-saving power of organ donation.

Together, we honor donors, celebrate recipients, and give hope to those still waiting. Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

You may remember Andrea McConaughy from Episode 109, where she shared her incredible journey and her upcoming celebration of 30 years with her heart transplant.

In Episode 119, we hear the story from a different perspective—that of her husband, Rob McConaughy.

Rob met Andrea after her transplant. What began as a chance meeting turned into a love story built on faith, commitment, resilience, and understanding. As their relationship grew, Rob found himself stepping into a role he never expected: becoming the caregiver of a transplant recipient while learning firsthand about the challenges, uncertainties, and triumphs that come with life after transplant.

This heartfelt conversation explores what it means to love someone whose journey includes major health challenges, and how a strong partnership can thrive through life’s ups and downs. Rob shares the lessons he’s learned, the joys they’ve experienced together, and the unique perspective of loving and supporting a transplant survivor.

This is a touching story of love, resilience, and the power of standing beside someone through every chapter of life. It’s an episode that will leave you inspired and feeling the deep connection Rob and Andrea share.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book, More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget, is available now on Amazon in paperback and eBook formats.

If this episode touched your heart, please help us spread the message:

• Subscribe to the podcast and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
• Share this episode with family and friends.
• Help us raise awareness, honor organ donors, and celebrate the gift of life.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Roxy Staricha, a mother whose world changed forever during a routine 20-week anatomy scan.

What was supposed to be an exciting milestone in pregnancy quickly became the beginning of a journey filled with fear, uncertainty, faith, and unimaginable strength. Roxy shares the emotional story of her son Lennox, an amazing little fighter whose life began with a serious congenital heart condition known as transposition of the great arteries.

Just days after birth, Lennox would undergo life-saving open-heart surgery. But the challenges didn’t stop there. As Roxy and her family tried to navigate the emotional roller coaster of hospital stays, procedures, and endless prayers, they learned Lennox would eventually need something even more rare and complex — a partial heart transplant.

This is a story no mother ever wants to live through, but one every parent should hear. It’s a powerful reminder of the strength of a parent’s love, the miracles of modern medicine, the importance of organ donation, and the resilience children can show even in the toughest battles.

Roxy’s honesty, courage, and faith shine throughout this emotional conversation as she shares the highs, the lows, and the hope that carried her family forward.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:
Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Al Boykin — an athlete, military man, devoted husband, and family man whose life changed when his body began telling him something wasn’t right. While working overseas, Al noticed symptoms he simply could not ignore. After returning to the United States and seeking medical answers, he received a life-changing diagnosis in 2023: cardiac amyloidosis — a rare and progressive disease often referred to as “stiff heart syndrome,” where abnormal proteins build up in the heart, causing it to become thick and unable to function properly. As his condition worsened, Al traveled to Johns Hopkins for specialized care. What began as appointments and monitoring eventually turned into the moment no patient wants to hear — doctors telling him he could not leave the hospital. Then came the wait. Thirty days later, Al received the gift that would save his life… a heart transplant and a second chance at living. In this emotional and inspiring episode, Al shares his journey through fear, uncertainty, faith, family support, and the gratitude that comes with receiving the ultimate gift of life. His story is a powerful reminder of how quickly life can change and how organ donation gives hope where there once was none. Let’s Stay Connected: Email: [email protected] 📱 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast 🎧 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform. BJ Odom’s book More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook! If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message: Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platforms. Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings. Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

In this unforgettable episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet a true “unicorn” in the world of living organ donation. Kristie Sue’s journey began with a husband born with only one kidney, making organ donation a cause already close to her heart. But with love, faith, and encouragement from her family, she made a life-changing decision that few people ever consider.

She donated one of her kidneys… to a complete stranger.

What she experienced afterward was something impossible to describe fully—the overwhelming feeling of purpose, gratitude, and knowing she had helped save someone’s life. That experience impacted her so deeply that years later, she made another incredible decision.

She became a living donor again.

This time, donating a portion of her liver to another stranger in desperate need of hope and a second chance.

Kristie Sue’s story is one of extraordinary compassion, unwavering faith, and the incredible power of giving. It’s a reminder that even in a world filled with challenges, there are still people willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for someone they may never meet.

This episode will inspire you, move you, and remind you what humanity looks like at its very best.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
Share this episode with family and friends.

Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Kathy Snead. In 2009, Kathy was diagnosed with HCM, a diagnosis that would slowly change the course of her life. Year after year, her health challenges continued to grow more serious. Doctors warned her that one day she may need a liver transplant, but nothing could prepare her or her family for how quickly that day would come.

In 2024, Kathy’s journey took a dramatic turn when she suddenly needed an emergency liver transplant.

Through fear, uncertainty, setbacks, and emotional moments, Kathy leaned on faith, love, and the unwavering support of her husband who stood beside her every step of the way. Together they faced the unknown while holding onto hope and believing that God still had a purpose for Kathy’s life.

In this powerful and emotional episode, Kathy shares the reality of living with chronic illness, the terrifying moments leading up to transplant, the miracle of organ donation, and the gratitude she now carries every single day.

Her story is one of perseverance, faith, second chances, and a reminder that miracles still happen.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Sonja Dalbey, whose journey began the day she was born.

Diagnosed as a “blue baby,” Sonja faced serious heart challenges from the very beginning of her life. But as she grew older, doctors discovered her condition was far more complicated than anyone first realized. During a heart catheterization in third grade, her family learned that her heart problems went much deeper than expected.

What followed was a lifetime filled with uncertainty, surgeries, setbacks, resilience, and hope.

Through every up and down, Sonja continued fighting forward with courage and faith. Years later, after enduring a lifetime of heart complications, she reached the point where a heart transplant became her only option for survival.

In this emotional and inspiring episode, Sonja shares:

• What it was like growing up as a child with congenital heart disease
• Discovering the seriousness of her condition at a young age
• The surgeries and medical challenges she faced throughout life
• The difficult road that eventually led to heart transplant
• The gratitude she carries for her donor and second chance at life
• The overwhelming blessing of living long enough to see her grandchild born

Sonja’s story is a powerful reminder of perseverance, faith, and the incredible gift of organ donation. Her journey shows how hope can carry us through even the hardest seasons of life.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platforms. Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

This week on Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Garry with 2 R’s Katz, a man whose journey has already been filled with battles, strength, and determination. After defeating cancer, Garry now faces another life-changing challenge… kidney failure.

In this heartfelt episode, Garry shares the emotional reality of living on dialysis, the daily struggles that come with kidney disease, and the hope he continues to hold onto while waiting for the gift of a life-saving kidney transplant. His story is honest, inspiring, and a powerful reminder of why organ donation matters so deeply.

Garry’s courage, humor, and positive spirit shine through as he opens up about navigating uncertainty while continuing to fight for more time, more memories, and a second chance at life.

Please take a moment to learn more about Garry’s journey and how you may be able to help by visiting:
www.helpingGarry.com

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book:
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Grab your copy today: Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:
Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform.
Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.

In this powerful episode of Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast, we meet Robbie Knutson, whose journey began long before he ever knew a transplant would become part of his story.

Born premature, Robbie faced health challenges from the very beginning. At just 16 years old, he began experiencing breathing difficulties and learned there was a possibility he could develop emphysema—the same disease that affected his mother. Hoping for a better quality of life, Robbie moved and for a time things seemed to improve. But over the years, breathing slowly became more difficult, and everyday tasks that once seemed simple became exhausting.

Eventually, even making it through a workday became nearly impossible.

Determined to find answers and hope, Robbie traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where doctors delivered life-changing news: he would need a double lung transplant.

What followed was a journey filled with uncertainty, faith, patience, and courage.

Then came the call that would save his life.

Thanks to the incredible gift of organ donation from Mason and his family, Robbie received his life-saving double lung transplant and was given a second chance at life.

In this inspiring episode, Robbie shares:
• Growing up premature and facing early health struggles
• Learning he could face the same disease as his mother
• The gradual decline that changed his everyday life
• The emotional journey to the Mayo Clinic
• Hearing the words “double lung transplant”
• Receiving the life-saving call
• His gratitude to Mason and the donor family who made his second chance possible
• His message of hope for others facing transplant journeys

Robbie’s story is a reminder that organ donation doesn’t just save lives—it restores hope, purpose, and precious moments that might otherwise be lost.

Let’s Stay Connected:

Email: [email protected]

 Facebook: Gift of Life – The Organ Transplant Podcast

 Listen and share on your favorite podcast platform.

BJ Odom’s book
More Parts Than A Chicken Nugget… Available on Amazon in paperback & eBook!

If this episode touched your heart, help us spread the message:
Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform. Share this episode with family and friends. Together, we’re raising awareness, honoring donors, and celebrating new beginnings.

Thank you for being part of our life-giving community.