Ceremony held to honor donors and recipients of life-saving transplants

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Ballad Health, Tennessee Donor Services and organ recipients gathered Wednesday to celebrate those who have saved the lives of others.

The ceremony was held to honor those who made a selfless gift by being a donor and celebrate the recipients.

“Words can’t express the gratitude and appreciation I have for my donor, and for the gift he gave to me,” Joe Carder, a liver transplant recipient, said.

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Carder developed cirrhosis from a side effect of a medication he was using for atrial fibrillation, known as AFib, which is a common heart arrhythmia.

“I lived with cirrhosis for 13 years before going into liver failure and needing a liver transplant,” Carder told News Channel 11. “So I was placed on a waiting list. I think I was placed on a waiting list, was March of 2014 and I had a liver transplant in July, the 17th, 2014.”

For others, the wait time was longer. John Caso started having heart problems in 2004 at the age of 44. His heart was two and a half sizes larger than normal and was pumping blood at a very low rate.

“It was a battle to stay active, stay positive and wait,” Caso said. “And, you know, normal wait time for a heart, normally four months to three years and I waited 11 years, nine months and 23 days. And at the beginning, it was okay. But as time went on, it got tougher and tougher. I got sicker and sicker.”

Caso finally received his new heart in 2016.

“Right now nationwide, there’s more than 100,000 people waiting on a life saving transplant,” Nick Shepherd, External Affairs Coordinator for Tennessee Donor Services, said. “You could fill the entirety of Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, and there still be people waiting outside. That includes 3,000 people in Tennessee and more than 2,500 people in Virginia are waiting on a life-saving transplant from somebody. Unfortunately, 20 people die every day waiting for a transplant that never comes. But thanks to people who sign up as organ donors, more than a hundred people are saved each and every day.”

A donor remembrance was also held during the ceremony. Families of donors came up and filled a glass vase with different colored sand.

It’s been almost 10 years since Carder’s transplant, and he said it’s been great being in his four grandchildren’s lives.

“I’ve been to a lot of soccer games, basketball games, dance recitals, whatever they’re into,” Carder said. “I’m a big part of their lives. And my wife and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last year, which none of this would have been possible had it not been for my donor.”

Carder received his liver from a 26-year-old male.

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Since Caso’s transplant, he’s ran a 5-k, seen three of his grandchildren graduate high school and was there for the birth of his fourth one.

“I was able to babysit her for the first year and a half of her life, which was just the most beautiful thing,” Caso said. “I’m close to my grandchildren. My wife and I have got time to spend together and she’s retired after 43 years at the same company. So life is good. And I spend a lot of time talking about Donate Life, talking about giving and I try to give back every day to people.”

Caso received his heart from a 21-year-old male. He said donating life helps you to leave a legacy.

“When we think of legacies, we think of politicians or I think of musical artists,” Caso said. “And I think, well, you know, Tom Petty’s music will always play. But I didn’t make music. So my legacy is going to be what I live for somebody else, just like what the person that gave me. I’m living a legacy for him right now.”

Both Caso and Carder encourage everyone to donate life.

“I think donation is the greatest gift you can ever give,” Carder said. “I mean, you can literally give someone a second chance at life. And so I just encourage everyone to sign up to [be an] organ and tissue donor. The more that sign up the more lives can be saved.”

April is Donate Life Month. To sign up to be a donor, you can sign up at your local DMV. You can also go to several websites, like bethegifttoday.com, tennesseedonor.org, or donatelife.net.

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