Make a Change | Unsplash by Katt Yukawa
Make a Change | Unsplash by Katt Yukawa
The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is happy to celebrate Feb. 14 each year. Not only is it Arizona’s birthday and Valentine's Day, it is also National Donor Day. This year we are celebrating the amazing story of three very special heart recipients.
Jason Sr. and Sara Siqueiros, and their three children, Jaxon, Isabel and Jason Jr., have overcome incredible obstacles just to live. Born with the same life-threatening heart condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy, all three would require a heart transplant to survive. Faced with a long and uncertain road ahead, the family never gave up hope.
With the help of dedicated doctors and other medical professionals, as well as generous strangers choosing to pass on their gifts of life, each child received a successful heart transplant between 2019 and 2020 and are now living happy and healthy lives.
"Not one, not two, but three hearts, and I am forever grateful,” Sara says. “I’m just eternally in debt to these [donor] families, and I hope to get to meet at least one of them some day.”
Isabel is an amazing artist and scholar who loves school and all animals. The twins love to play and watch football, basketball and wrestling. The entire family, grateful for the second chance at life, are advocating for organ, eye and tissue donation. They often participate in local events to educate others and raise funds for transplant organizations.
“Going forward, we will continue to appreciate our lives,” Sara says, holding back tears. “We wake up every day so grateful. My children know they have special hearts. I want them growing up grateful and always remembering they are alive because of a donor.”
Despite the health challenges they still face, the Siqueiros family remains positive. They shine as an example of resilience and the impact that organ donation can have on someone's life. Donate Life Arizona hopes everyone takes a moment to ponder their own power to save lives. The joyful faces of Isabel, Jaxon and Jason demonstrate the importance of giving back to others in the most selfless way.
“My children know that their hearts beat for two,” Sara says. “The donor families saved my whole family and me.”
For nearly two decades, ADOT MVD and Donor Network of Arizona have partnered to educate people about organ, eye and tissue donation and make it easy to register. Today, more than 4 million Arizonans are registered donors and about 95% of donor registrations occur when a person applies for or renews their Arizona driver license or state ID card.
Visit DonateLifeAZ.org(link is external) to learn more about organ and tissue donation and register as a donor.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up