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Courage. Gratitude. Hope.
These are just a few of the words that tissue recipients share with us on a regular basis. Although every story is unique, each provides a glimpse into the tremendous impact that the life-saving gift of tissue donation has on the healing journey.
Featured Stories
Jackie Skapinakis
Title :
Grateful for the Opportunity
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
For Jackie Skapinakis, life is all about family and the outdoors. Jackie, her husband, and her two sons spend their free time together boating and paddle boarding when she's not working as a compliance professional. She also enjoys spending time in the garden, trying out new crafts, and snowmobiling with her husband of 29 years. These enjoyments would be threatened when Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
Jackie Skapinakis
Title :
Grateful for the Opportunity
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
For Jackie Skapinakis, life is all about family and the outdoors. Jackie, her husband, and her two sons spend their free time together boating and paddle boarding when she's not working as a compliance professional. She also enjoys spending time in the garden, trying out new crafts, and snowmobiling with her husband of 29 years. These enjoyments would be threatened when Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
Jackie Skapinakis
Title :
Grateful for the Opportunity
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
For Jackie Skapinakis, life is all about family and the outdoors. Jackie, her husband, and her two sons spend their free time together boating and paddle boarding when she's not working as a compliance professional. She also enjoys spending time in the garden, trying out new crafts, and snowmobiling with her husband of 29 years. These enjoyments would be threatened when Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
"I have a history of breast cancer in my family," Jackie explains. In addition to losing two grandmothers and two aunts to cancer, Jackie's mother died of pancreatic cancer. Before her mother died, she emphasized the importance of never missing a cancer screening. One busy afternoon, right before her six-month checkup, Jackie felt tempted to skip her appointment. "Things were crazy with work, and I really wasn't feeling up to it," she shared. "But my mom popped up in my head, and I remember what she said to me, so I went." Shockingly, the screening revealed that Jackie had stage I lobular cancer, an aggressive type of breast cancer. Since the cancer was caught early, doctors advised Jackie to explore other options, but she wasn't taking any chances. Jackie decided to have both of her breasts removed, followed by breast reconstructive surgery using donated tissue.
Though a registered donor, Jackie had no idea that she was a recipient of donated tissue until she received information following her surgery on how she could write to her donor's family. Grateful for the gift of a second chance and a speedy recovery, Jackie wrote a letter to thank her donor's family for their sacrifice and later heard back from them. "I think donation is much more meaningful when you truly understand that there's someone behind it," Jackie exclaimed. "I am so grateful. That's the only word that can describe it. I'm very, very grateful that I had this opportunity."
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