Raivyn Brooke Summerfield was wise beyond her years. She had a smile that could light up a room and a gift of wisdom. If you were ever down or needed level minded advice, Raivyn had the ability to give you needed advice or induce a smile that would last a lifetime. She was always referred to as everyone’s “Rai” of sunshine. She never met a stranger and had a heart of gold that would do…
My name is David Swearingen and this is the story of my kidney transplant. I am the youngest of three boys. My life was pretty normal, until the spring of 1979. During a routine physical, at 16 years old, it was determined I had too much protein in my urine. I was sent to Carswell Air Force Base in Ft. Worth, Texas for testing. After a kidney biopsy, I was informed I had a kidney…
Chase Christopher Swonke was born September 19, 1983 and was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. Chase grew up loving the outdoors, and enjoyed camping, hunting, and fishing. He loved to view the stars at night, watch the lightning, and listen to the thunder. Many summers were spent visiting national parks with his family, and fishing with his Opa, grandfather, on Lake Somerville. Chase was a strong, strapping young man and could hoist up…
Our sweet Matthew Joseph was born 3/3/1999 and was taken from us just 3 weeks after his 24th birthday on 3/22/2023. Matthew was a kind, loving and handsome young man with so much life ahead of him. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and a member of ATO fraternity, with a major in Finance and had recently joined the adult world in corporate America. Matthew always made us so proud through his school…
Megan Terrell says she knew from the moment she fell in love with her then boyfriend, nearly 20 years ago, and he told her he would eventually need another kidney transplant that SHE would be the one. Her response was “simple” as she wholeheartedly said “It’s ok, you can have mine!!” Those of us involved in transplant world know how heroic that “simple” statement truly is, but to Megan, now Justin’s loving and selfless wife,…
At the time of my son’s death, we lived in Concord, NC, where I am at present. Garrett H Terrell died on 9-22-03 at the age of 11. He died 6 days before his 12th birthday, which became his memorial service date. Garrett was in the 7th grade and a typical boy of the time. He enjoyed playing chess, listening to music, riding his skateboard, and playing video games. His passion was art. He was…
His baby blue eyes captivated the hearts of everyone that encountered him. Throughout his childhood, his proved to be quite a handful-100% boy!! As he grew older, his love for sports became apparent. Basketball and football were his favorite! He then developed this amazing sense of humor, and he had an infectious laugh! EVERYONE loved to be around him because he was SO funny. It didn’t matter what kind of mood you were in, when…
I was born on November 26th, 1968 to Doris and Eric Thirtle. Growing up, I did not have much of a relationship with my father. Mom was the backbone of the family. In 1992, my father was diagnosed with a kidney disease called IGA Neuropathy which progressed to the point where he needed to start dialysis 3 times a week, in November 1997. After being on dialysis for 3 years, he was told he either…
November 12th, 2010 we got the call…they had lungs for Savara. She had just come out of foot surgery when we got the call. Savara had suffered from a condition called dermatomyositis, which caused her to develop pulmonary hypertension. She was so calm as she waited for the lung transplant…after a sleepless night, they told us she had successfully made it through the surgery and we got see our princess with her new lungs. After…
There are moments in life that change everything in an instant. For our family, that moment came on a day marked by unimaginable tragedy. My beloved grandson Jaydon, only six years old, was lost to us far too soon when an impaired driver caused a devastating accident. Alongside Jaydon were his mother, my daughter Jessica, and his little sister Leah, just five years old. Their passing left a void that words cannot adequately describe, and…