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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
Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez
Title :
Active Again
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
Medical librarian Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez, isn't your typical dad in his mid-forties. When he isn't working, the father of five enjoys boarding of all kinds, including snowboarding, surfing, and learning new tricks on his trusty skateboard. "I've always been an active person," Manuel shared. "I've been skateboarding since I was twelve, and I really love using my legs." However, when a slip on a skate ramp resulted in severe pain, Manuel feared that his active lifestyle would be endangered.
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez
Title :
Active Again
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
Medical librarian Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez, isn't your typical dad in his mid-forties. When he isn't working, the father of five enjoys boarding of all kinds, including snowboarding, surfing, and learning new tricks on his trusty skateboard. "I've always been an active person," Manuel shared. "I've been skateboarding since I was twelve, and I really love using my legs." However, when a slip on a skate ramp resulted in severe pain, Manuel feared that his active lifestyle would be endangered.
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez
Title :
Active Again
isDonor :
No
isRecipient :
Yes
Sort order :
Medical librarian Manuel De La Cruz Gutierrez, isn't your typical dad in his mid-forties. When he isn't working, the father of five enjoys boarding of all kinds, including snowboarding, surfing, and learning new tricks on his trusty skateboard. "I've always been an active person," Manuel shared. "I've been skateboarding since I was twelve, and I really love using my legs." However, when a slip on a skate ramp resulted in severe pain, Manuel feared that his active lifestyle would be endangered.
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
"I was going forward, and my body was moving with the board, but not my leg," Manuel recalled. "I planted my leg on the bowl's wall and felt my knee shift. It was incredibly painful." After a fellow rider helped him to his feet, Manuel had no choice but to drive to his wife with an injured leg and was then taken to a doctor. "They thought I sprained my lateral ligament, and I was told I should be fine in a few weeks," Manuel continued.
Believing his injury had improved, Manuel then spent the next five weeks running on the sprained leg, an occurrence that only stopped when he recreated the damage on a hike, resulting in more pain than before. "I knew I had to see an orthopedist," he shared.
After an MRI, specialists confirmed that Manuel had completely torn his ACL with an additional meniscal tear. The injury would require surgery using a donated human tendon, something Manuel had not been familiar with. "I've heard of tissue donation before, but it's not something talked about in our culture," he explained. "Now that I'm a recipient, I think it's great."
Thanks to his donor's gift, Manuel can now get back to the things he loves most, like being active with friends and family. As a registered donor, Manuel is grateful for his donor's sacrifice and encourages those in his community to be open to organ and tissue donation. To his donor family, Manuel says: "Thank you for the second chance to be active again. Your loved one has made a difference, even after they've been gone. I can never repay you for your kindness and generosity."
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MTF Biologics is a registered trademark of the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.
MTF Biologics is a registered trademark of the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.
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