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A year ago, Madison Rose Christiansen couldn’t walk without a limp.”We got to the hospital, and that’s when they declared that I was in Stage V kidney failure,” Christiansen said.Nine months after her kidney transplant, she’s back to being a normal teenager.”I can run for one, like I couldn’t run at all before. I’d be limping,” Christiansen said. “I can eat food that I just want to, like this cookie that I have.”In 2023, Stephanie Pesota’s hemochromatosis was so bad she doesn’t remember coming to Nebraska Medicine.”My husband was advised that I had about two weeks to live,” Pesota said. “That is when they put me on the transplant list, and within about two days, liver was right here for me.”In honor of their organ donors and the hundreds more across the state, Nebraska Medicine is celebrating National Donate Life Month. They raised a flag as a reminder of the cause on Wednesday morning. Both Christensen and Pesota say organ donation didn’t just save their bodies. It saved their minds, too. “When you first hear about it, it seems like the worst possible thing in the world,” Christiansen said. “I’ve become more humble and more resilient. It really shows the true meaning of life.””I’ve got a new career path, I started a business, we’re in foster care. There’s just so much left to do. I want to be part of everything,” Pesota said.Pesota went on to say that donation goes beyond the patient to their community.”Their spouses, their parents, their siblings, their children, coworkers, friends, people in their neighborhood, anyone that person comes in contact with,” Pesota said. “It doesn’t just affect one person.”Christiansen urges people to donate. She said while it is scary, this opportunity is a blessing.”It’s a risk that benefits the world, really,” Christiansen said. “If we didn’t have the people who would give their kidneys, some of us wouldn’t be here.”Organ donation gave them a chance to be here to build community, and for Christiansen, a chance to take the ACT. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
A year ago, Madison Rose Christiansen couldn’t walk without a limp.
“We got to the hospital, and that’s when they declared that I was in Stage V kidney failure,” Christiansen said.
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Nine months after her kidney transplant, she’s back to being a normal teenager.
“I can run for one, like I couldn’t run at all before. I’d be limping,” Christiansen said. “I can eat food that I just want to, like this cookie that I have.”
In 2023, Stephanie Pesota’s hemochromatosis was so bad she doesn’t remember coming to Nebraska Medicine.
“My husband was advised that I had about two weeks to live,” Pesota said. “That is when they put me on the transplant list, and within about two days, liver was right here for me.”
In honor of their organ donors and the hundreds more across the state, Nebraska Medicine is celebrating National Donate Life Month. They raised a flag as a reminder of the cause on Wednesday morning.
Both Christensen and Pesota say organ donation didn’t just save their bodies. It saved their minds, too.
“When you first hear about it, it seems like the worst possible thing in the world,” Christiansen said. “I’ve become more humble and more resilient. It really shows the true meaning of life.”
“I’ve got a new career path, I started a business, we’re in foster care. There’s just so much left to do. I want to be part of everything,” Pesota said.
Pesota went on to say that donation goes beyond the patient to their community.
“Their spouses, their parents, their siblings, their children, coworkers, friends, people in their neighborhood, anyone that person comes in contact with,” Pesota said. “It doesn’t just affect one person.”
Christiansen urges people to donate. She said while it is scary, this opportunity is a blessing.
“It’s a risk that benefits the world, really,” Christiansen said. “If we didn’t have the people who would give their kidneys, some of us wouldn’t be here.”
Organ donation gave them a chance to be here to build community, and for Christiansen, a chance to take the ACT.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
