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Today, I am a student at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Going to Spelman has been a lifelong dream because my mother was a student there years ago. The reason I got into Spelman was not just because I got good grades and did my homework—my journey started when I was a baby.

One day during an examination, doctors told my parents something was wrong with my heart. After several tests, they discovered it was too big for my body. At the time, I was really sick and the only way I would live a healthy life was if I received a heart transplant from another child the same size as me. 

When I was waiting for a new heart, a little girl named Ashleah was badly hurt in a car accident. Doctors tried to save Ashleah’s life but unfortunately, she died.  

Ashleah’s Dad was so sad that he lost his daughter, but he made the brave decision for Ashleah to be an organ and tissue donor to help kids like me whose organs weren’t working well. And that is how I got a new heart...Ashleah’s heart.

Thanks to Ashleah and her Dad I am alive today and the best way I can honor Ashleah is to live my life with purpose and help others. 

I am proud to be an organ donor and hope someday I can save a life just like how Ashleah saved mine.