Amy became ill at age 18 with chest pains and was diagnosed with asthma. Her illness continued to progress and, after years of problems, she was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Amy was told she needed a lung transplant to survive and was put on an organ donor list.

In 2004 Amy flew to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital for a bilateral lung transplant, a 9 hour surgery with a recovery time of more than a year. Most of the recovery time was spent in the Cleveland Clinic Hospital with her family and around the clock medical team.

Amy, who is Type O+, “broke the bank” for blood transfusions by using close to 400 units of life saving blood in a very short time.

Today, Amy has become a volunteer for the American Red Cross Blood Services because she feels the need to give back what so many people gave to her.

While she cannot donate blood, she volunteers at blood drives in the community and is willing to tell her story and ask people to donate the gift of life.

Amy is a social worker for Community Health and Counseling in Lincoln, Maine and enjoys time with her family, her boyfriend and with her horse “Koquete”.

Red Cross blood donors help patients just like Amy in cities and towns throughout New England and across the United States. Please….give blood.

Patient Stories