Twenty Years Later: Honoring the Gift of Life

Laurie Schulte celebrates the 20th anniversary of her lifesaving liver transplant, a milestone that reflects two decades of resilience, gratitude, and life made possible through the gift of organ donation.

"It is the time of year that many people are writing their year in review and/or making their New Years’ resolutions. I, however, am not only looking back on 2025, but rather the past two decades and planning for a future that extends well beyond 2026. 20 years ago on January 7, 2006, I received a life-saving liver transplant and every minute since has been a miracle.

As a result of Wilson’s Disease, at the age of 24, I went into acute liver failure and was status 1A on the transplant list. One day I was a healthy recent college graduate starting my career and the next I was so tired and weak I couldn’t complete a short bike ride or make it through an afternoon without a nap. My skin turned yellow, my stomach looked like I was pregnant as it was filled with fluid, and I was terrified. My body was shutting down and there were no liver matches available. I was so sick I do not remember any of those two weeks leading up to my transplant. I would have died without a family’s selfless decision to donate life.

Being at the top of the transplant list means two things. It means that you are next in line for a transplant. It also means you are the next most likely person to die. I was a mere couple of days (if that) away from death. And there were no matches available. Instead of continuing to wait for a match and risk losing me, I was gifted a mismatched blood type liver, until I could later receive a perfect match. It was my only option and fortunately, it worked.

Being a transplant patient hasn’t come without its challenges. In the first decade, I survived extensive physical and occupational therapy, a major bile duct reconstruction surgery, countless minor procedures including ERCPs, biliary drain placement, and frequent drain changes. These all lead to a second transplant six and a half years after my first (this time from a selfless donor who matched my blood type!), as well as hundreds of doctors’ visits, and routine and not-so-routine blood draws. I feared death and still struggle with that fear sometimes.

But every single second of the struggle was worth it. There is no greater reward than one you must fight hard to achieve. Especially when that reward is more life to live with your family and friends. Without my transplant journey, I would not have such a deep appreciation for all that life has to offer. I am fortunate to have lived the very best life while not taking a single second of it for granted. And after my second transplant, I have been blessed to live a normal and healthy life.

So, while many people are reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the coming year, I have been looking back on the past two decades and thanking God for the many blessings in my life. In the past 20 years I married the love of my life, the man who visited me every day at the hospital for the three months I was there. The man that took “in sickness and in health” seriously. With him, I purchased two homes, got my first-ever dog and held his paw 18 years later as he took his last breath. I had a daughter after my first transplant and a son after my second, tripling the number of lives that were made possible because of my donors’ livers. I progressed in my career and volunteered with organizations like the Sharing Network to help spread awareness of organ and tissue donation. I traveled both inside and outside the country and even met the family of my second donor. Going through something so life-altering as a transplant made me mentally tough.

For years, I had to dig deep and find the courage to get through another day. Especially in the days spent waiting for my phone to ring, my patience wore thin and optimism wavered. But I learned to put one foot in front of the other and live for the moment. In the years after my transplants, to honor and preserve my gifts, I trained to match my physical strength with my mental strength. I wanted to finally take control of my health. I first started with running and ran several 5ks for both the Sharing Network and the Gift of Life program in Philadelphia. Next came strength training when I signed up for a (half) Tough Mudder. I loved that so much I did a full Mudder. More recently, my strength training has been focused on powerlifting (squat, bench, deadlift) and I have competed in two local meets. I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come.

Having a transplant has not only shaped my life in major ways – but in smaller ones too. Because of my donors I have been able to cheer on my children at their soccer and basketball games and beam with pride at all their accomplishments. I took them to their first concerts and football games. I attended my sisters’ weddings and held my nieces and nephews when they were born. I held my husband’s hand and continue to fall more in love with him each day. I visited my parents at their new home in Florida and created new holiday traditions. I talked to God and my donors on my way into work and found my way back to church on Sundays. I stopped to breathe and think and pray and love and appreciate.

Over the years I’ve learned good health doesn’t always come easy, so I do what I can to maintain it as long as I possibly can so I can enjoy all the big and little moments life has to offer. I was given the rare and precious gift of a second (and third) chance at life. In honor of my donors, transplant team, and family and friends who have supported me along the way, this past year leading up to my anniversary, I did a series of mini monthly goals all aimed at improving my health as much as possible. This includes monthly goals of improving nutrition, exercise goals, water intake, increasing rest and sleep, number of books to read, and even removing social media. Today I am so proud to say I am the healthiest I have ever been. The past 20 years have been the ultimate blessing full of life, love, happiness, and health and I look forward to not only 2026, but 2036, and 2046 and however many more years as a result of the two heroes that saved my life."

—Laurie Schulte, Liver Transplant Recipient