National Donate Life Month continues to celebrate the capacity we all possess to give life and hope by registering to become an organ donor. Every ten minutes, someone is added to the National Transplant Registry. Depending on the availability of necessary organs, wait times for patients on the list can be anywhere from days to years. Join the many registered donors nationwide in saving lives and spreading awareness about the impact of organ donation.

This week’s entry to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA’s) The Right Heart blog demonstrates just how impactful organ donation can be. Barbara Holden is a past The Right Heart-blogger who shared the story of her 1,200-mile train ride from Florida to Massachusetts. Her goal was to demonstrate how traveling by train can be an alternative to flying for individuals with pulmonary hypertension (PH), who are often medically restricted from flying. Since that time, Barbara has had many new experiences including a double-lung transplant and heart bypass surgery. After being placed on the transplant waiting list, then undergoing both life-changing procedures, Barbara now has a new lease on life thanks to the “giving and selfless” act of an organ donor.

PHA’s The Right Heart blog helps the PH community educate others about life with PH, providing you with an opportunity to express yourself and share your story. During National Donate Life Month, we want to hear from you if you have received a transplant, are waiting to receive a transplant, have saved a life via organ donation or if you just want to express your thoughts on the topic of organ donation and transplants. Do you have The Right Heart to share your PH story? Submit your story at PHAssociation.org/get-involved/share-your-story/.

Follow PHA on Facebook (facebook.com/PulmonaryHypertensionAssociation), Twitter (@PHAssociation), Instagram (@PHAssociation), and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/pulmonary-hypertension-association/) to catch the most up-to-date information on National Donate Life Month, and use #DonateLifeMonth #NDLM and #PHAssociation on social media to join the conversation.

Barbara Holden (right) with her aunt, Patricia, at the New England Patriots Victory Parade, February 2019.