Transplant Pilot Experiences Organ Donation Firsthand  

On June 28th, 2019, Josh Weiland received a call no one ever wants to get. His father called to tell him that his mother, Suzie, was being transported to the hospital for what was likely a stroke. When Josh arrived, he quickly learned that it was indeed a stroke and unfortunately, it was the type that didn’t have a promising outcome. It was at that moment that his dad mentioned to Josh that his mom wanted to be an organ donor. 

Josh wasn’t a stranger to donation. In his career as a pilot, he had transported patients on the wait list to the hospital to receive their transplants, but he never thought organ donation would affect him on such a close and personal level.  

“The script was flipped, and we were now in the other seat” said Josh of the moment he discovered he would now be facing organ donation outside of his career and within his family. 

Josh’s family described Suzie as loving her family, especially her grandkids. Suzie appreciated being out on the lake, tubing, and even water skiing. With the importance of family at her core, spending time together before she passed was a meaningful gift to her and her family. 

Suzie’s Legacy 

When asked about Suzie’s ability to become an organ donor when the statistics show that only about 1 percent of all registered organ donors become a match , Josh was initially surprised.  “I thought based on her older age and the fact that she used to smoke many years ago would disqualify her as a donor.” 

There are many common misconceptions about organ donation, such as age and certain medical conditions that some assume may rule you out as an organ donor. The reality is anyone can register to be an organ donor regardless of their age, and most medical conditions don’t disqualify you from being a donor.  

In Suzie’s case, she was able to gift multiple donations, including her lungs. “When the surgeon talked about her lungs, they said it was the best set of lungs they had seen on a 66-year-old,” which Josh recalls as not surprising considering she was very boisterous and loved to sing. 

“I guess it just put all of those myths to bed,” reflects Josh on the impact of his mother’s donation.  

Donation as the Ultimate Gift 

“For me, I think being a donor is the ultimate gift. I think that we come into the world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. And so for any of us to have the ability to extend someone’s life in that fashion is the best gift that we can that we can truly give. There are people today who are alive because of my mom, and that’s incredible.”